Forbidden Magic
by Nature9000
Summary: Dabbling in the practice of witchcraft, Jade tries to help a friend tempted by a strange practicioner to use a powerful type of evil magic for mysterious purposes. Her friend's denial and refusal complicates matters, and she must now seek to not only help her friend and the deceased to pass beyond the gate, but to discover and put an end to the evil plans of this strange tempter.
1. Prologue: Free the Spirit

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N: So this is a rather complex idea I've been sitting on for a few weeks, difficult really to explain except it involves spells and so on. Oh, and after much deliberation, Jade's perspective is best. Enjoy

Oh and this is just a prologue of what is to come-let me finish my other work first-there is not much left of Lessons. Plus, I want to get ahead on this, but I wanted to give you a taste of what's to come.

* * *

Chapter 1 (Prologue: Free the Spirit)

"Everyone has their own way of doing each ritual, some methods work better than others. It is important to invoke a state of calmness, so long as you do it properly, it will be fine." Jade West stood over the sniveling Robbie Shapiro, who was seated on a small chair with a raised platform that he held his right arm over. He was clutching his left firmly and whimpering at the reddish, decaying flesh. "I've only dabbled in the arts-but I know a thing or two about the rules. Do you have any idea who it was that did this for you?"

"I don't." Her eyes drifted towards a nearby circle of wax candles. In the center of the circle, the puppet Rex lay sprawled out. Nearby was a pedestal with a brown book and gold pages. "I told you it was years ago, I'm just now noticing this happening to me. Some guy performed the ritual, he was heavyweight and had a bald head-but that's all I remember of him. He was present when my brother-you know…"

Someone that didn't know anything about wiccan or magic knew little about the rules and the laws of the world. One of the biggest things to never deal with would be the free will of a person-living or dead-the binding of a soul was considered forcing a spirit to their earthly bondage. This would certainly invoke the law of karmic energy, which Robbie was now experiencing. This meant it was clear the man taught him how to perform the forbidden law.

"Karma is a very real force, Robbie. Cause and effect, action and reaction, this is used to clear up disharmony and to restore balance. It is neither a punishment or a reward." Robbie clenched his teeth as she brought a soaking rag to his decayed arm. "Good and bad karma attaches to your soul, and throughout life you find positive energy will give you good opportunities while negative energy creates obstacles that teach you lessons in life."

"Something to that effect. So what, I'm getting a dose of negative energy?"

"Basically. See, the deed or a thought doesn't create karma, but the intent behind it is what does. It is not so much what you have done with Rex-as it is what your intention was. Wiccans believe that no act should ever cause harm to another. The Wiccan Rede, a code of contact stating 'it harms no one, do what you will'. All it means is simply do nothing to harm another."

"No offense-" Robbie let out a painful grunt as steam rose from the rag. His fist clenched and sweat flicked off his brow. "-But is this going anywhere?" She put her hands to her hips and walked over to the puppet, pointing down at it as the eyes slowly moved towards her.

"The ritual the man had you perform is an ultimate act of sin, but you were young at the time and didn't realize it. You had just lost your brother, you were distraught and frightened, so this man showed you how to bind a soul or a spirit to a body-or in this case-inanimate object." Rex's flesh body had been lost in a cabin fire, so the closest object had been this puppet. "So essentially you forced the soul into that of a puppet, making it live and breathe as your brother once did."

"Yeah."

"What you seek isn't always what you get. This ritual could have conjured up _anything_-whether it was your brother's soul, or a part of him-or a demon. It doesn't really matter which, because eventually they will turn dark from the anger of being unable to cross over to the light."

Jade picked up a long black stick-she hated calling it a 'wand'-and began to hover it above the candles and the puppet. "The ritual I'm performing will free the spirit from its bounds, Robbie." He sniveled and bowed his head, trembling lightly. "You could have turned it into a dark, evil spirit, but regardless the scars on your arm are a sign if anything." The spirit or demon, whichever had been trapped had grown malicious and due to his action attacked him. The attack zone was clearly the hand he often used to hold the puppet in place.

She was a little concerned that she wouldn't be able to heal anything. The use of magicks was meant to be benevolent, for the healing process. If a wound was due to some sort of spiritual assault or negative karmic energy, she may not be able to cleanse it. Karmic energy would become positive with good intentions behind actions. Her main issue was she wasn't full blown Wiccan, she just knew the rules and some of the practices. She practiced witchcraft as a hobby, and if she did, it was mostly for the medicinal benefits.

"How long until the pain goes away?" Robbie's grip on his arm was strengthening from what she could see. A vein was popping out of his hand and running down his arm, it was as if he was trying to tear his wounded arm clear off.

"It will be a few minutes. I need to release your brother first." She flipped through the pages of the spell book until she located the releasing of a soul from an inanimate object-nowhere near complex as removing a decaying spirit from a human body. "This is the anti of whatever that man did."

Though it was almost like an exorcism, coming with the same idea. "What's happening to me?" Asked the puppet in a weakened, raspy voice. "Where am I." There was a soothing spiritual tune playing that was meant to relax the soul, but perhaps she'd left Rex idle for far too long.

"I'm freeing you from your earthy bondage." The wooden heard turned towards her and a slightly demonic possession overtook the creature's eyes. This was where it would get messy, but she was grateful that the spirit was inside an inanimate puppet and had been carried most of the time by Robbie, therefore never learned to properly walk. If the soul grew malicious, it would be unable to physically attack the person trying to release it, unless it were trapped inside a deceased human.

In which case, this was where the zombie horror films originated from-people trying to release the souls of those dead, the malicious spirits would attack the person with viciousness. Most times the host body would decay on its own over a long period of time, but it was more humane to release them early.

Many times if it were a human possession it was harder to realize it before it was too late and either the malicious spirit rampaged and destroyed everyone in its path or it decayed very painfully. Inanimate objects were easy, due to the unnatural talking and moving they would do.

"What if I don't want to be released anymore?" Rex's voice grew to an unholy deep level. His arms rose and fell on the ground with great ferocity. "What if I just want to eat?"

"That's not my brother!" Robbie vocally panicked, his eyes grew large and his curls fell before his frenzied glare.

"Of course not. Even if it had been, he wouldn't be forever. Even from day one, they're never like they used to be. Be happy you put him in the body of a puppet, otherwise I'd be making you hold him down."

"With a bad arm?"

"Yes!"

"I thought you believed in that passive non-violent stuff?"

"I am not full Wiccan. Heck, I'm still studying. Keeping my options open."

"Then how are you going to release this soul or whatever?"

"Anyone can do it. Wiccans, Christians, Bhuddists, you just need to have a knowledge of the spiritual realm…" She began to read the spell for release, and Rex's eyes grew large.

As she read, she reached for that of a small toy car that was about the length of her index finger. She cupped her hand around it and moved her eyes towards Rex, her voice rising with the spell. This car belonged to Robbie and was his favorite item. It was necessary in calling back the goodness of the original spirit and releasing them, but the item itself had to be very specific. If it was a grey towel with a red stain, for example, that was the item needed-not a yellow towel.

A gust of wind blew her hair to the right and swept at the lit candles. Rex began screaming as the candles slowly unlit one by one. "I don't want to go!" Rex cried. "I want to stay here!" Jade did not falter in the spell, and tightened her grip on the car.

Soon the puppet lay still on the ground and the white spirit of a young boy stood before them. This boy had curly brown hair, freckled cheekbones and soft blue eyes. He was older than Robbie in life, but now he was the younger. Jade's lips curved into a smile while Robbie gasped in shock. "What's going on?" Rex asked in a hushed whisper. "Am I free?"

"You are," Jade replied, "Free to go into the afterlife. I'm sorry for your imprisonment." She looked to Robbie. Tears were streaming the boy's face and his lips were quivering anxiously. '

"R-Rex…"

"Brother?" Rex moved over to Robbie, gazing softly into his eyes. "Why did you do that to me? Wouldn't you want me to be free?"

"I-I wasn't ready to let you go. I'm sorry!"

"I love you little brother…"

"I love you too." Jade folded her arms across her chest and lifted her eyebrows as Rex began to fade. Robbie was finally letting his brother go. She was gravely concerned about this man that instructed Robbie with this spell-he had to be a dangerous warlock-but she didn't know what kind of game he was playing. There had to be some sort of trick, some reason he let people think they could perform such a vile art.

"Will you let me go, Robbie? I really want to see grandpa."

"Yes. Yes you can go…"

"You'll be okay won't you?"

Robbie bowed his head, weeping bitterly. "Y-Yeah. I'll be just fine. I'm sorry I kept you." Jade carefully shut the book and walked over to Robbie as Rex's soul drifted up to the heavens. Robbie continued to weep. She eyed the lifeless puppet and shook her head.

"One should never mess with the dead, Robbie. I'm sorry you had to go through that. Now…" She reached for the enchanted rag and lifted it off Robbie's arm. The decayed flesh was now healed, but scars remained very vivid. The boy gazed down at the scars with wide, fearful eyes and looked up to her for an answer.

"Not completely healed?"

"Everything you do has consequence. I can't heal your scars inflicted by spiritual energy the way they were. I can't interfere-I could only heal your flesh. The rest is up to you…"

"How will I move on now, Jade? Without Rex…without my brother…"

"You'll find a way. Believe me. In the meantime, I'm going to try and find more out on that guy you were talking about-maybe I can see why he was doing what he did."

"Do you think there are other victims?"

"I don't know, he would have to be in pretty bad shape by now if there were. Anyway, you're free to go." Robbie moved over to his puppet and crouched down, whimpering as he cradled it. He had no choice but to move on now, to grow and learn not to commit the same travesty again.

* * *

Just a taste of what's to come. Going to try not to make things obvious. I'm waiting on a couple other stories of mine to progress (one is close to being done) so I can do this without feeling too overwhelmed with my current school and work schedule as well as what I've got written. So bear with me. Tis the perfect season and month for this type of story. Not really a horror but a mystery, somewhat, you'll see.


	2. A Family Dinner

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N: I hope you guys will actually appreciate the _storyline_. Here's chapter 2, enjoy! There's a lot of mystery in this story, and lots of clues and hints littered about each chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2 (Family Dinner)

Jade sat outside her home, watching from her car and texting with her boyfriend. "How'd everything go?" She typed with minimal typos-irritated with the tiny keypad given to her by the phone. Beck was taking an anger management class at the park's rec center. After having an outburst the week prior, Jade requisitioned him to go.

His response came a second later, and while she could not hear his voice, she detected a tone of bitterness in his words. "How do you think it went? I'm a seventeen year old in a class full of fat, older, balding men and freakish older women sharing sob stories about the stress in their lives. I think it went perfect!" A pang of guilt stung her, but she brushed it off and typed out her response.

"I'm trying new things too, remember that. Both of us are working on those anger issues. You like to control things and I 'act out' according to you and my mother."

"Oh yes, we're perfect for each other." She raised her eyebrow and swept her thumbs along the phone's glossy screen. She narrowed her eyes and pulled the right corner of her lip back to form a small circle in her cheek.

"That better not be sarcasm. I'm sick of fighting and breaking up." It had a tendency to derail her confidence and psyche, especially since it seemed like he was just playing games with her at times by breaking up, getting back with her, and breaking up again.

"I know. Ignore me, I've got a headache and I'm frustrated. Have a good dinner, I love you."

"I love you too."

"Try not to let your mom give you too much grief."

"I won't. Goodnight." Her parents were oddballs really, with her mom verbally-and occasionally physically-abusive to her and her father, it was her dad that was always trying to fend off the woman's insults. Jade started looking into various religions, stopping off at Wicca, so that she could grow calmer. With this, she was able to meditate and calm her nerves, so she was learning to be more passive and patient, but it was a process.

Upon entering, she not only smelled the pleasant aroma of her father's famous sesame and ginger grilled salmon-a recipe he got from Black Eyed Peas restaurants-but the tantalizing aroma was soon dampened by the noise of her parents bickering. "The demon child doesn't deserve a meal, you're wasting your time!" Morgan culled Henry. Following her shout, Jade heard a clanging metallic sound in the kitchen.

"I'm not letting our daughter starve because you don't agree with her standards," Henry replied with a rising, but calm tone. Jade rolled her eyes and glanced casually over her shoulders. The Vega home would probably be a much calmer environment than her place, which was the reason she was over there so often, aside from her slow growing friendship with Tori. Though Holly was in the midst of that affair, she and David never fought, for some reason. Trina was annoying sure, but more tolerable than her mother was.

Jade moved to the couch and sat down. Her lips pressed tight together, parted just a centimeter in the center. She leaned back against the soft cushion and closed her eyes. Her chest and shoulders rose as she took a slow intake of air through the nose, then visualized that airflow moving towards and out her mouth. She repeated this task several times, eventually forgetting her surroundings or the sound of her mother and father bickering.

Doing as she read in some other text, she visualized herself in a clear meadow with a nearby lake. Wind would blow the clouds through the air and caress her with a warm, gentle breeze.

She felt the beating of her heart slow as a particular calmness came over her. Her eyelids lifted up halfway and her meditation was only broken by the thought of getting Beck to do this with her. He never would, since he thought meditation was all crock and bull regardless, but it was worth mentioning.

"Jade?" She turned her head to her father and smiled. "Dinner's ready." He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. "I've got a headache and your mother isn't in the best of moods. I know how you two get, so just try not to butt heads tonight, please?"

"I won't say anything. I'm looking forward to dinner." She pushed herself up and walked into the kitchen. Her mom was already at the table, shoving a forkful of broccoli into her mouth. The woman looked at her with piercing black eyes beneath her long hair that not only framed her face, but shrouded the front of her face and hugged her shoulders and upper arms. She always had an amazingly youthful appearance as well, which Jade always hoped to be the one thing she'd get from her.

"Oh look," Morgan muttered, "The Satanist is here." Morgan's pet bulldog was lying beside her and lifted its cream colored head up to gaze at Jade. Henry rolled his eyes while Jade made her way to the table without so much as a single glance. It took nearly every fiber in her being not to lash out at the woman as she so often did, but she was managing. Part of it was the rumbling in her stomach mixed in with the smell of the food and the sight of her food on the table. "That's what it is that you're practicing now, isn't it? The devil's work."

"No, mom." Satanist was something else. What she was doing was more holistic and much healthier. "I don't denounce God or worship the devil."

"No but you practice magic-evil magic."

"You don't know what I do. I healed a friend's wounds."

"Save it for the doctors-I didn't raise you to be a devil worshipper!" Jade took a bite of her meat, chewing slowly as she averted her gaze from her mom. The woman was trying to provoke her, but she wasn't going to let her. Besides, her mom was just ignorant and uneducated. Both in the mental sense of things and the literal sense, the woman didn't even finish high school. "I bet that boyfriend of yours is a meth addict."

Henry rubbed his forehead and groaned, "Why would you even suggest that, Morgan? Where is your sense of decency? Can we not have one peaceful dinner at this table?" Jade took another bite and watched her mom shoot her father a violent glare. Henry mumbled to himself and looked over to Jade. "So how was school?"

"It was good. All finished with all my homework today, so I was thinking of heading over to Tori's later for our poker match." She wanted to change up the card games usually, since it was so often that they would play poker and never anything else. "I'd personally like to learn Gin Rummy. I know, Mom, you used to play when you were a girl right?" The woman responded gruffly and lifted her shoulders.

"Your mom was a championship card player. Though, she won't tell me the name of the clubhouse for some reason."

"I don't talk about my past," Morgan remarked, "You know that." Morgan swept her hair from her face and leaned back. "Jade, you were with Robbie earlier, right?"

"Yeah, he was having some trouble with something he needed help with." She reached for a glass of water and glanced up at a nearby portrait of a vase. "By the way, speaking of witchcraft and whatnot-our history teacher's actually going over the Salem Witch Trials…have you guys ever studied those times? They were interesting times."

"Yeah a time filled with bigots and devil worshippers." Was it not a little hypocritical of her mother to talk like that? After all the abuse and grief she was giving Jade in these recent days, she herself could be considered a 'bigot'.

"Apparently in those days, the Puritans were really stringent on religion, Mom. So yeah, if you so much as looked at someone the wrong way, you could have been tried as a witch."

Morgan rolled her head to the side and Jade stabbed at some broccoli. "I've studied. Not since I was young, but yes, they were weird times. If they confessed to being a witch they were freed, if they said they were not a witch, they were executed. Fair times, I suppose. Even back then, witches weren't real-or not in the way the puritans thought them as, I suppose."

"Yeah."

"Jadelyn, what is your fascination with this witchcraft nonsense? Are you _trying_ to be a devil-worshipper?"

"Not everyone that practices magic is a devil worshipper, _mother_." She narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow while her father glanced anxiously in their direction.

"You walk around like one, you act and dress like one…" Morgan waved her hand in the air and Jade scoffed. Her patience and calmness was beginning to fade, much to her dismay.

"You're one to talk. You don't practice and you wear black dresses and have long black hair. It's _just a stereotype_. Black is a favorite color of mine, just because I wear black doesn't mean I'm gothic, Satanist, or even a cutter-it just means I like black!"

"Even your boyfriend looks like one of those angry type of brooding men-"

"Well he does have anger issues." Henry raised an eyebrow and she realized a second later what just slipped out of her mouth. She cleared her throat and turned to her father, trying to rectify the situation before it got out of hand. "He's taking anger management."

"Has he hit you?" Henry leaned forward, looking inquisitively at her.

"No, of course not. We've fought a lot and it's always stopped before it escalated to being physical."

"Good." Henry sipped on his water and shut his eyes. "You can go play cards with your friends like usual, I have no problem with that. Just be back before midnight." She could tell he wasn't overly fond of her always being out and about, but he knew it was better for her to be away. With Morgan around, he preferred it. Plus, she had an active social life, which he admired. Morgan oftentimes went to sleep around ten, so he usually told Jade to come home after that time.

"Midnight!" Morgan exclaimed while throwing a hand up in the air. "Who knows what she'll get involved in before then!" Jade's lip curved into a smirk while Morgan's eyes slid into narrow slants.

"If you're so concerned, I'll have you know I freed a soul into heaven." Morgan stared at her for a full minute before rolling her eyes and scoffing.

"This nonsense again. Demon spawn."

"Maybe I am, but what does that make _you?"_

"_Excuse _me?!"

"That's enough!" Henry smacked his hand on the table and rose up, startling both women. "I've had enough of this fighting for tonight. Jade, just go be with your friends, I will deal with your mother…" That was good enough for her, and Morgan wasn't protesting.

"Okay dad, see you later then."

* * *

So what a nice family dynamic, now we get to see her "second" family. Well, what are your thoughts on this chapter?


	3. The Typical Family Environment?

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N: I'm going to go ahead and post this up tonight, though I don't really have any future chapters written out yet, save for the next, so trust me when I say this is nowhere near ready for daily update. I just want to reassure people that the fact that this involves wicca (among other religions it uses) it's not going to take over everything-though spells and magic are an issue here. Don't let it turn you off, I really think this is a unique story and hope you'll give it a chance to enjoy the mystery it involves.

* * *

Chapter 3 (Typical Family Environment)

As she made her way to the Vega home, she felt a drop of rain bounce off her forehead. Her eyes drifted up to see dark clouds rolling in and small streaks of lightning piercing the air. "Great, it's going to rain…" For everything she loved about the rain and thunderstorms, she hated driving in it, especially if it was night.

Beck texted that she and the others were already there, and to go directly in. Normally she'd stop and ring the doorbell or knock. As she pushed open the door, she heard Tori and her friends laughing. Beck waved her over to the couch. "Guys, Jade's here." Tori bounced her head up and flashed a grin.

"It's about time you get here, you're late. We were about to have to start without you!"

"Well I'm here now, aren't I?" She looked over to Robbie. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt and his hand was on top of the forearm that was all scarred up. Tori followed her gaze and clicked her tongue. "Oh yeah, did you know Robbie got rid of his puppet?"

"You don't say." She sat beside Beck and leaned into him. Robbie shifted to the right and looked a way as Jade flashed him a broad smirk. "Our little Robbie's growing up." She hadn't wanted to tell anyone she was practicing, so she'd asked him not reveal what took place.

Robbie's face grew tense and he slouched his shoulders. "It had to happen eventually. I guess I was getting too old for the puppet." He was just lucky she knew how to get the soul out of the puppet-humans were a much greater task that she didn't think she was strong enough to deal with, so she hoped never to have to face that. "Can we not talk about Rex and get started with the game?"

Feeling this was a good time to suggest a different card game than they usually play, "Hey why don't we try something else? Like crazy eights?"

"We could do that," Tori replied, "Why don't we ask Trina to join?"

"Let's not," Andre muttered, "Damn sister of yours gives me the creeps." Tori frowned at him. Jade walked over to the table, saying nothing. He had a point, but at the same time, it seemed like he just didn't want Trina playing. None of them did though, the girl wasn't that good at playing cards, and so she often lost and would start shouting at them-she was a sore loser.

"She's still my sister." Tori looked up the stairs. Jade watched the girl bounce on her toes and flash a toothy grin. "Trina! Want to join our game?"

"No!" Trina shouted from upstairs "I'm taking a bath, I can't stop itching and I think I'm getting a rash." The friends looked at each other with disgust while Jade grabbed the deck of cards to shuffle them. Trina probably didn't realize all the friends were here the girl might not have been so open if she knew.

Tori walked over to the table and Jade looked up to her, "Where's your mom at?"

"Out back in the garden," the girl replied. "Dad's in his study. Again." David never came out of his office-it was concerning. He wasn't protective either, but seemed like the type of man that would be. For instance, when Trina was alone with Beck, Andre and Robbie-and Beck admitted to her what went down-David believed the boys over his own daughter and even told her to go far away. That concerned Jade greatly, not because of what happened to Trina-though Beck should never have done what he did-but because no parent should do that to their child. When dealing with her own mother, she knew how it felt to be put down like that.

When Beck told her about it, it was the point where she started to realize she needed to work on herself some and to cut the Vegas some slack. It was difficult to not lash out and insult, but she was trying her hardest.

"Why doesn't your dad ever come out?"

"I don't know." Tori bowed her head and grabbed the cards from the table. It was Blackjack, so there were two cards to each person. "I don't think daddy likes me. We eat dinner together and watch the super bowl, and he hardly says anything. It's been like that for years, so I'm actually used to it." Jade's heart sank and she looked back to David's office door. She felt like going in and talking to him about this problem, but at the same time, she didn't think the Vegas would want her to meddle in whatever family affairs were going on.

"Well. At least you have your mom and sister, right?" Tori lifted a finger up and shook her head.

"Trina stays away from me nowadays, and Mom's always with Officer Gary. When she isn't, she's in the garden." It made sense that Trina would be more avoidant, with how things were, but Holly didn't make a whole lot of sense. Most of what didn't make sense was the woman cheating on David.

"Don't take this as prying, but why would your mom cheat on your dad?"

"Oh she's not." Jade raised an eyebrow while the others expressed their confusion. "Dad lets her! In fact, he even asked Gary to take mom out of the house more often."

Andre shuddered and grabbed his cards. "Damn woman, your entire family's screwed up."

"They're still my family, Andre, and I love them." Jade could always see in her eyes how much that love for her family extended; Tori would go to the ends of the earth for them. "Maybe I don't say enough?"

Jade heard the backdoor slide open and turned to see Holly walking in. The woman was scratching at her neck. She stopped and looked at the friends, then her expression turned almost to disappointment. "Oh your friends are here. I'm not making them anything. If they want drinks or snacks they can get everything themselves." Jade flinched and turned to the others.

"What did you guys do to piss off Mrs. Vega?" They shook their heads and shrugged.

"Nothing!" Andre lifted his hands defensively, then pat his chest. "Why do you assume we did something wrong?"

"Usually it's because you did do something stupid." Andre crossed his arms and Beck chuckled.

"Well we didn't do anything, we've been leaving them all alone." It was Jade's request after all that they try and cut the family some slack. "Ever since you found whatever it is you found, you've changed a lot." She straightened her back and flipped over a card in the center the table for everyone to decide whether to hit or stay.

"Change is good sometimes." She was learning a lot through meditation and really beginning to start calming down more. She'd practice basic rituals to keep calm and not let things her mother did affect her. By doing this, she wasn't as tense throughout the day and less catty. She still had moments where she'd try and control someone or shout at someone, but these moments were much less than they used to be. "I'm not nearly as stressed as I usually am."

"It's true," Beck reported with a smile. It was also helping her not to be so uptight around Beck, forcing him to be constantly on edge. He already had enough on his plate as it was with his own problems, so when he was constantly on edge, he'd bottle everything inside until he blew up. It wasn't healthy for either of them.

That being said, Beck was supportive of her trying out the Wiccan religion and dabbling in the arts of rituals and craft. He was a little nervous about it at first, and didn't want to bother with getting involved with the rituals or books she was reading. It was more of an 'I'll support whatever faith you decide-but I'm not touching it' matter. The other thing that was understood was he did not want her using any kind of spells on him.

It wasn't like that with her, though. She didn't want to get involved for manipulative purposes, just healing and meditation. Beck knew what she'd done for Robbie, though, and it was something that he wanted no part of because it disturbed him greatly-this concept of the supernatural.

The others she didn't want to involve because she was certain it would frighten them. Tori especially with her naïve innocence, she probably would freak out and start wondering if Jade was calling on evil spirits.

The kitchen faucet turned on and Jade looked back over her shoulder to see Holly washing her hands vigorously. There was a bright red spot on her neck where she'd been scratching. Jade furrowed her brow and twisted her lip in thought. "Mrs. Vega, are you okay? Your neck-"

"I think it must be a bug bite," Holly replied. It did look like a bug bite, but also a bit of a rash. "If not, it might be part of that rash Trina's got."

"Daddy and I don't have a rash," Tori stated, "We're all using the same shampoo and body wash-" Tori paused and tilted her head to the right. "Well, Dad uses Gillette, but still…Maybe we should get you guys to the doctor."

"Yeah right, your father doesn't even care, dear. He'll just say to get itch cream from the local drug store." Holly sneered for a second, then walked to the stairs. Jade hung her elbow over the back of the chair and started to suggest that she look at it, but stopped when Beck put his hand to her arm.

"I can see you're concerned," he whispered, "But don't get involved. They don't like it, remember? We get chewed out every time we try to get involved in this family's stuff."

"I know, I just…" She took a deep breath and glanced one last time at the stairs. With a frustrated sigh, she crossed her arms and turned around. "I want to at least try and help." This family had issues ever since they met the Vegas, and on occasion the friends would try to help, but it was usually David that told them to get lost.

"Not your problem. It seems like Mr. and Mrs. Vega are just going through marital troubles. That's pretty common for someone having an affair, so…let's just focus on the game, all right?"

"Fine." She grabbed her cards and turned to the rest, muttering to herself.

After the game, curiosity did get the better of her, and she sought to approach Mr. Vega while Tori was doing something with everyone else. When he wasn't in his office, she tried the master bedroom. David was asleep on the bed with a half empty bottle of whiskey at his side.

The sound of a child's laughter echoed in what should be a silent room lit by the luminescence of the television. As she turned, she saw the image of a happy family playing together on a camera with the timestamp of _April 20, 1999_.

_"Play nice dear," Holly remarked as a four year old girl with short brown hair handed her six year old sister back her toy. "Always remember to share your toys, girls. Okay?"_

_ "Okay Momma," the girls replied. Tori then latched onto Trina, laughing as her sister struggled to push her off-finally giving up after a minute. David's deep laugh could be heard from behind the camera as he watched his Trina walk around with her sister still clutching her._

_ "Victoria, Katrina, what are you doing?" He asked. Trina looked up and shrugged her arms out to the sides._

_ "We're playing dinosaur. Victoria's become my tail, Daddy, so I get to drag her around." Trina walked further while Tori's legs dragged through the dirt. The younger sister laughed as Trina started to spin. Immediately Holly dove in and separated the girls._

_ "That is not safe!" Holly scolded, "You could hurt each other or yourselves. Trina, it's almost time to blow out the candles on your cake." Tori stepped back and jumped up. _

_ "I want to give her my present first, mommy! Can I?"_

_ "We'll open presents after cake." Tori pouted her lower lip and Holly reached down, hugging her. "But your gift can be the first one, sweetie."_

_ "Yeah!" Trina exclaimed. "I can't wait to open your present, Tori!"_

The television flickered off and Jade jerked back, the smile on her face vanished and she turned to see David glaring at her. "What are you doing in here?" David immediately threw his hand to the door and his eyes slanted shut. "You and your friends are not permitted in my bedroom!"

"Sorry Mr. Vega, I just-I wanted to ask you something."

"Out!" She wasted no time rushing from the bedroom, flinching when she heard the door slam shut. The home movie was still fresh on her mind, but it made her question what changed with this family. Tori and Trina were nowhere near that close anymore, Holly wasn't that motherly-or that loving-and David certainly didn't act like a doting father. Granted this behavior _was_ pretty typical with the few years she'd known the Vegas. What with the lackluster dad that just didn't care, the mom who had no opinion, and the elder sister who did her own thing.

So maybe it was nothing, or perhaps Beck was right. It could just be a family argument going on that they wouldn't want her to meddle with. So she would stay out of it unless there was a reason to get involved, which to be honest, there didn't appear to be anything going on that she needed to involve herself with.

Whatever the Vegas were dealing with, they could fix without her meddling.

* * *

So there's that chapter. Now to get ahead of it, also need to work on Clean Slate's next chapter while I'm at it.


	4. Paying Respects

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 4 (Paying Respects)

"There's not much go off of." Jade read out of some book while riding in Beck's car, she was trying to figure out how she could locate the person that taught Robbie the soul binding spell. "Warlock means oath-breaker, so there is that." Beck glanced over to her with arched eyebrows and a subtle frown.

"Honestly I don't get half that stuff. I'm still trying to process that Robbie's dead brother was really in that puppet."

"I know it's hard to believe, but the supernatural realm exists all around us, Beck. Whoever did this to Robbie's brother had purpose-it couldn't just be random. Robbie might have been a random choice, but the act couldn't have been. There had to be a reason someone would bind a soul to a dead body with the promise of that person being in the survivor's life."

Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him shake his head. She didn't know how to convince him of the supernatural realm. If he wasn't going to believe, then he wouldn't. "I just don't know why we're coming here." He slowed his car to a stop beside the Crestview cemetery. This was where Rex would be buried and Jade wanted further show respect for the dead. Despite, Rex's actual body was never recovered.

"We're here to pay our respects." Lightning cracked in the sky above the cemetery's sign. Jade was put off by the start of yet another storm. She put her hand to the door handle and shook her head. "What I wouldn't give for a clear night, we've had rain and lightning every night for weeks." Beck pushed open his door with a laugh.

"Well, it is the season, I suppose. Middle of October, my girlfriend's studying witchcraft and just released the soul of my friend's dead brother from a puppet." Jade rolled her eyes and flashed a smirk. She saw him pause for a second, snapping his fingers before glancing over to her. "Why a puppet, anyway? You'd think he would have put him in the actual body."

"Well from my research it sounds like the person doing the ritual didn't have Rex's body on hand, so he put the spirit in the nearest object. I'm kind of grateful for it because removing from a human would be much harder."

"Harder? Why?"

"Because when you try and exorcise a dead spirit that turns malicious, they try to fight you-thereby trying to kill you. It's harder for a puppet or inanimate object to attack someone than it is for a human." Beck's face dropped and his eyes slanted.

"So you're saying these things are almost like zombies?"

"Sort of. Zombies might not be the right term. It's hard to detect one because they live amongst us, walking around like they never died. Only when their spirits begin to turn malicious do you get any sign-because that's when they start to kill-or trying to anyway. It's almost like a hex, but I wouldn't know just yet-that's why I'm trying to find the connection between them and that guy Robbie mentioned."

"If Rex is gone now, then why the concern?"

"The concern is Rex died when he was eleven-and he was the _older_ brother. Robbie was nine or ten then, he's seventeen now-which means during the last seven years-_anything_ could have happened." During that time gap, this mysterious man could have had this ritual done for a number of people. "We won't know if more people are walking around that should be dead, but who's to say…"

"Well he couldn't have done many." She guided him into the cemetery, taking note of the many tombstones that lay in small squares bordered by sidewalks. There were also benches of marble and stone, there were mausoleums in the back, and an iron gate covered with ivy that framed the entire giant cemetery. She folded her arms over and glanced over to Beck, waiting for him to explain his statement. "Think about it-if there was an abundance, there would be more dead people walking around and people would start to notice. Do you think this guy would drag attention to himself?"

Jade tugged her lip back and began walking down the path. "No, you're right, he probably wouldn't want that." Chances were, then, that there may not be many-if any at all-that had dealt with such a ritual. She couldn't understand why someone would do it though, what strings were attached? What was the underlying motive? No one that would perform such a taboo and evil act would do something without gaining something in return. "Still, if the person is currently active, we need to stop them."

"How necessary is it to get involved? I mean, it doesn't affect us much, does it?" He put his left hand into his pocket and swept his hair out of his face with his right. Jade brushed her fingertips along her forehead and exhaled. "I mean I don't usually get involved in stuff that…complicated if it doesn't affect me, but then, that's just me.

"Make a note, Beck, never to become a police officer." He raised an eyebrow and frowned as they walked towards the area Robbie said his brother's grave would be. "We get involved because it would be wrong to let someone like that harm innocents-which is pretty much what they're doing."

"You hurt innocent people all the time and you've never cared."

"Yeah well I'm working on that." Her days of emotionally abusing people was near an end anyway. She felt bad enough knowing all the abuse from her mom she deflected onto undeserving people, so she was trying to get away from that. It was hard, but she was doing the best she could. "It's a process."

Jade turned left onto a path and saw a cross and fountain several on a patch of grass in the distance. "There it is, that's what Robbie said was the grave."

"Isn't he Jewish? Why is his brother's grave at a cross?"

Jade scratched her chin and lifted her shoulders. "He said his dad was Jewish but came to believe in the salvation and all that." It made sense to her, but at the same time, it wasn't something she cared too much about.

"I guess." Beck looked off to the right and furrowed his brow. "Tori's grandparents are dead, right?"

"Believe so. Why?"

"Cause they have a strange, but cool memorial over there." She saw him point off to the right and followed his point. There was a mausoleum with the name 'Vega' written on it. Did Beck not now that Tori's dad was part of one of LA's most prominent and wealthy families?

"The Vega family has been here for over a century, one of the founders was a brother to his ancestor. He's an assistant police chief, his great grandfather was a police chief."

"Yeah, yeah, I got that. I just think it's interesting they have a mausoleum here, is all."

"Focus. We're here for Rex." They stopped before Rex's grave, taking a moment to study it. _Rex Shapiro 1993-2004_. "This is difficult, Rex's body was still never buried here, but his soul's been put to rest."

Beck scratched the back of his neck and slowly nodded, "It bothers me still that I keep picturing him as a puppet." She had the same issue, which was why she got a photo from Robbie that she was going to place on the gravesite. She

"Here." She removed the photo and showed it to Beck. It was of the two brothers on Christmas morning in their pajamas with their stockings laying out in front of them. Rex was taller, ten years old at the time, and had his arm around his little brother to hug him. He had high cheekbones, blue eyes, and curly brown hair just like his little brother. "Looks like Robbie, just without the glasses."

Beck studied the picture carefully, his lips dipped down and he shook his head. "It's a little sad, actually. I mean, clearly he sounds a lot different than that puppet. A happier time…"

"Over time the spirit, unable to cross over, becomes malicious, dangerous and unruly. From day one, I think, they are never the person they were in life."

"So we're here to do what, exactly?"

"I said to pay respects." She gently set a candle on top of the ground where the casket was over. She didn't know just yet how funerals were arranged in the Wiccan faith, but through studies she know there was a lot of respect and talk about the goddesses accepting the lost one. In her mind, she wanted to pay respects by way of the person's own belief system.

To do this, she was going to recite the Kaddish Prayer for Rex, which was customary in funerals with Judaism. During Rex's lifetime, the brothers' father _was_ still practicing Judaism, only turning to Catholicism nearly a year before Rex's death. It was Robbie's grandparents that were still practicing now.

"You brought the book, right Beck?"

"Yeah." He handed her the book with the Kaddish Prayer and she opened up to the page, taking a deep breath as Beck lit the candle for her. He then stepped beside her and bowed his head as she recited the prayer.

Once finished, she crouched down and pushed the candle up against the grave and gently set the picture between the stone and candle. The lightning from earlier subsided and her eyes drifted up to the skies. "It's still just a casket, Jade." She closed her eyes as Beck's foot tapped the ground impatiently.

"I think it's a lot more than that."

"I don't mean it in the sense that paying respects is worthless, I mean it in the sense that Rex's body isn't here…so maybe I do make it sound almost worthless."

"The soul will go to wherever respects are being made, I believe. Regardless he is here." She pushed herself up and pulled her stick and some seeds. Beck lowered his arms, studying the packets carefully.

"What are those for?"

"They're herbs, its believed these in particular are some of the kinds that can be used for protection." She had with her seeds to grow African Violet and Rosemary. She immediately began to plant them into the ground, digging around the grave so as not to disturb the portion where the burial was.

When she had the seeds in the ground, she began to wave the stick over the grave area, speaking a soft protection spell. This would likely help to keep any potential demonic evil from touching the spirit, henceforth freeing it from any negative energy remaining. "Every ritual is going to be different, Beck. There are still basic guidelines to follow."

"Yeah it's still hard enough for me to believe in any kind of spiritual stuff, now with all this magic and whatnot…it's a little hard to stomach."

"Well. You're not the one practicing, so I don't know what you're complaining about."

He shrugged his shoulders and folded his arms, "I'm not complaining about anything other than my girlfriend practicing witchcraft." Jade raised an eyebrow and walked past him, huffing to herself. "Not that there's a problem with it, I support it and everything, it just bothers me. I'll get used to it."

"Good, because I'm only just learning. I know it's hard for you to get involved in religious activity, but I'm glad you're at least here for me." She reached forward, taking his hand into hers and smiling tenderly at him. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand.

"I'm doing the best I can to be a supportive boyfriend."

* * *

Nice pleasant time in the cemetery. What are your thoughts.


	5. Coming of Age

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 5 (Birthday Planning)

Jade waited patiently in her bedroom, gazing up at the calendar on her wall. She was waiting for Tori and Cat to come over for a visit, to discuss some upcoming plans for her 18th birthday, which was in only a few weeks. October 29th. Cat said she'd be over soon, Tori was caught up in the middle of trying to settle an argument between Trina and their dad, and would come over as soon as the issue was resolved.

Whenever the girls would come over, they were going to plan this big event and send out invites. She wanted her birthday to be celebrated at the nearby roller rink where she and Beck would skate arm and arm while a large crystal ball spun overhead, shimmering with white light. She was going to ask Tori to sing and have Cat bake a cake. Even her mom, of all people, said she_ might_ involve herself in this birthday celebration. She was anticipating it to be the biggest birthday bash of her life.

A book lay at her feet on the bed, it talked about dark and light magic. She was using it in hopes she'd discover a way to figure out who was the one that tricked her friend. There was an account, however, of three powerful dark witches named the Sander Sisters, of whom a fictional movie named _Hocus__Pocus_ had been based off. The tale the book told of them was a much darker tale that struck a chord deep within her.

The sisters evidentially used the souls of little children to stay young. Only, they did it through a very direct method. Jade's eyebrows furrowed at the book as she thought onto what she had read. Could it be that this tempter was up to something similar? Had this warlock planned to feed upon her friend's brother's spirit? A wrinkle formed between her eyebrows and her head shook left to right. "No. Why keep the spirit and body alive for that long? There must be something else to it."

Her mother's dog wandered into the door, whining as his sad eyes gazed up to her. The corners of her lips drifted up as the dog sat beside her bed. "Poor guy, you always look so sad." She reached down to pat his head and let her leg hang of the edge of the bed. Her left arm remained over her abdomen as her eyes further studied the closed book. "I know you don't understand all this stuff Spikey, if only you did. Maybe you could answer the questions I have." The dog whined and Jade let out a soft exhale, dumbfounded that she was actually talking to her mom's dog.

"We're here!" Tori's voice startled her up. Her eyes shot to the door in time to see Tori and Cat hurrying inside. Tori cleared her throat and looked over her shoulder. "Your mom didn't seem like she was happy to see us." Jade let out a soft chuckle and waved her hand dismissively in the air.

"Just ignore her. She doesn't like anyone, even Beck."

"And you wonder why I don't come over," Cat replied with a sour expression. Jade lifted her shoulders and watched as Tori reached down to pet the bulldog. "Oh by the way, on our way over we saw a strange looking woman staring at your house." Her heart pulsed and her eyes shot over to the window.

"Really?"

"Maybe 'strange' is the wrong word. She was just there, watching." Cat grabbed her hair and began to sweep her fingers down it. "She had blonde hair with brown tips and was wearing this blue shirt and long black pants." Who would be watching the house, and why? Was it anything to worry about? "She walked away after a couple minutes, we were thinking of asking who she was."

"Probably nothing to worry about, Cat. People in this town are…odd like that, especially in this neighborhood." She chuckled vainly and motioned to the door. "Just look at my mother."

"We've met her," Tori muttered. "Anyway, you've got such an adorable puppy dog." Jade watched the girl scratch the dog's head with amusement. "How old is he?" She rolled her eyes and looked back at the window in search of some mysterious woman that the girls were talking about.

"God knows, we've had him forever." She honestly didn't know whether they had the dog as a puppy or not-the story was that the dog showed up at their door and just never left. "I love him though, he's mainly my mom's dog, but he likes to sleep at my side sometimes. What about you, why don't you have dogs?"

"Mom won't let us." Tori hugged the dog's neck, allowing it to lick her forearm. Cat sat on the edge of the bed, her eyebrows arched and her lip tucked into a gentle smile. "I'm not sure if it's mom or dad, one of them just doesn't want to have a dog around. I stopped asking a few years ago."

"That sucks. You should at least get yourself a pet, they're wonderful to have around." Jade pushed the book she had under her pillow and leaned back against the headboard. "So Tori, I thought you were busy trying to stop some argument?"

"Yeah, but they made up. It wasn't much." Tori moved her back against the bed and laid her arm along the dog's back. "So, your birthday…"

"Right, you know I'm planning this big party-"

"I'm going to be honest," Cat started, "With how you've treated people over the years, how many people do you expect will show up?" She expected that. After all, it wasn't that she would pretend people liked her and she didn't treat others like shit. It was the fact that she wanted to show people that she was making an effort to work on her problems and change.

"It's worth a shot. I just want people to know that I'm working on myself." She brushed her hair over her shoulder and furrowed her brow. "Besides, I've never had a big party like this-and you only turn eighteen once."

"What are your parents going to be doing for your birthday?"

"Dad says Mom's got him doing something that day, and she'll swing by during the party. I figure if they want to come, they can." Although she wasn't sure how much she wanted them there. Jade rolled her head to the right and glanced out the door. "Want me to get some snacks?" The girls nodded and Jade pushed herself up from the bed.

As she walked out into the living room, she heard an intense melody and saw her parents dancing together in what appeared to be a waltz. The song that played was _Once Upon a December_. She leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow _"Far away, long ago, Glowing dim as an ember…things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember, and a song someone sings…once upon a dece-em-ber._" Her eyebrows lifted and her lips twisted into a gentle smirk.

She watched her mother lean forward into her father's chest, putting her head over his heart and closing her eyes. Her father's eyes were gazing ahead at the nearby wall. Shaking her head, Jade passed them up and continued into the kitchen.

Beside the counter was an old door she knew all too well. Now interested in witchcraft, she recalled the designs she'd seen on another door at the bottom of the stairs that led down. She pushed open the door and peered down the dark steps. As she trailed to the bottom, she came upon the tall metal door with curious symbols and no door handles.

This door had been locked shut for as long as she remembered, with no possible way to open it.

At the top center was a circle with a star, also known as a Pentacle, which was used in many rituals. Then there were two signs on each side. A hexagram. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck as she stumbled backwards. Her lips pressed tightly together and her heartbeat began to pound as she gently shook her head.

Hexagrams were used for works of darkness, and one of the most powerful types of dark magic out there. So what was this door? A gate to hell? Was there something hidden inside that someone didn't want let out? Furthermore, did her parents even _know_ about this door? They had to know _of_ it, but since neither really appeared to know a thing about witchcraft, she had her doubts they even realized what was on the door or behind it.

In order to figure it out, she'd need her spell book, but she had no idea what spell was used on the door so there was nothing to tell her how to counter.

A chill ran down her spine as a shadow fell over her, she spun around and threw her hand to her chest when she saw her mother looking down at her. "What are you doing now, Jade? Shouldn't you be with your little friends?" Morgan crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I was just…" She shook her head and made her way up the steps, looking over her shoulder for a minute. "I was curious about the door. The symbols on it…they're witchcraft symbols."

"Really? That door has been down there as long as I remember. I've never been able to open it, the last tenant said there was some sort of basement and those diagrams had always been on it."

"So you don't know anything about it?"

"No." Morgan brushed her hand along her sleeve and motioned to the door. "It's been locked and with those symbols on it since before we moved in." Once in the kitchen, Morgan shut the outer door and moved for the refrigerator. "Now, what do you need?" The bitterness in the woman's tone stung her, but she let it roll off her shoulders.

"I was getting some snacks for Cat and Tori." She looked to the living room while moving to the pantry. "Hey, you and dad want to watch a movie later? I was thinking of that movie that airs every year, _Hocus Pocus."_ Morgan rolled her eyes and removed a carton of milk from the fridge.

"No. We're not watching that movie."

"I heard somewhere that it's based off real witches, just not as dark as the real versions were." Morgan lifted a finger and narrowed her eyes.

"And _that_ is why we are _not_ watching that movie."

"Aw…" Why did Morgan hate witchcraft so much? Or perhaps more accurate was why did the woman not want her involved? "Give it a chance, I bet it's not bad."

"As if-go play with your little friends, Jade." Jade grabbed a bag of crackers and cheez-itz from the pantry and left the kitchen with a heavy sigh. Passing her dad in the living room, she waved. He looked up to her and waved back. For all the shit she put up with in this family, she was grateful that she had a good relationship with him. She loved her dad more than anything, especially since he was always good to her, so why didn't he just kick Morgan to the curb?

She looked over her shoulder to see her mom leaning back against the counter, drinking a glass of milk and watching her closely.

Yeah. She and Henry would be much better off without this woman. Yet 'harm none' was the policy that all practicing witches believed, and she wasn't about to become a dark witch.

* * *

Well Morgan has a great hatred of halloween it seems, as well as magic. I wonder what that door is. Oh, and yeah, Jade's going to have a fun 18th birthday. What are your thoughts? Who was that woman Tori and Cat saw. Hmm, so many questions.


	6. Late Night Research

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 6 (Late Night Research)

"Why can't you sleep?" Beck yawned on his end of the telephone. Jade was sitting on her bed with her legs folded Indian-style, and her laptop was positioned in front of her. From another room piano music was sounding off to Beethoven's _Fur Elise_. She could tell it was her mother playing-as the woman was the only one in the family that played. The scary thing was she played it almost as well as the actual man himself, a feat that not many would be able to accomplish without years of practice, and she never knew her mom to have taken piano lessons growing up.

"The usual. I just have stuff on my mind and Mom's playing her music again. She's a Beethoven fanatic. I ever tell you that? Any minute now and she's going to start playing the Moonlight Sonata. I wonder how in the hell Dad sleeps." She listened to Beck laugh. Her lips pressed firmly together as her eyebrows rose curiously.

"I wonder if the woman had an affair with the guy, she loves him so much as you say."

"Yeah, real hilarious." Her tone fell flat and her eyes slanted. "Mom may be an old bitchy hag, but she's not _that _old. She's only like…probably forty-eight or fifty." It wasn't that she didn't know her mom's age, but rather, her mother never talked about her age or celebrated birthdays. All her life, her mom told everyone she was younger than her actual age, which it seemed most middle aged women tended to do. "Anyway, I got most of the birthday party things going on, now I'm just researching."

Beck threw out a heavy sigh and spoke with a particular disinterest emanating from him. "Dare I ask?" On the computer screen was a picture of the famed Winifred Sanders and her two sisters. Her fingers slid along the touchpad, scrolling down the screen.

"I'm researching the Sanders Sisters, the _real_ Sanders witches that the movie _Hocus Pocus _was inspired by. I'm trying to see if there's any clues regarding soul manipulation. Maybe a sign or something…"

"You already released Rex. What more do you have to do?" She began swaying to the piano music, smiling softly as the peaceful nature soothed her. Her eyes closed and she began to visualize herself once more in her meadow, breaking only when she heard her boyfriend calling out to her. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry." It was amazing to her that a woman as abusive as her mother could make something so peaceful as music, playing Beethoven, Mozart or even Brahms. "I just want to investigate, because this tempter that taught Robbie to do that spell on his brother couldn't have just stopped there. There has to be more out there."

"You just can't leave well enough alone. I swear something bad is going to happen, I just have this bad feeling…Something isn't right, Jade, and I don't like it." She rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulders.

"Everything's going to be fine."

"But you don't know what you're getting into. I don't even know what you're getting into, so how am I supposed to help you if something happens?!" Now it was finally coming out how he felt. She wasn't surprised, but she was grateful that he was getting it out of his system. "Hell, this witchcraft stuff you're into all of a sudden-god knows what it's all about. I've got enough stress worrying about religion and spiritual issues as it is without worrying about _spells_."

"Nothing will happen, I promise." She looked towards her bedroom door as the piano tune changed to the Moonlight Sonata. Her mouth tucked into a smirk and a chuckle fell from her lips. "Oh look, I was right. Mom's playing Moonlight Sonata now."

"Your mother's that skilled at the piano, and _Andre's_ the one that plays piano? How does that make any sense?" She leaned back in her bed, belting out a laugh. "Okay, anyway, what good will researching the Sanders Sisters do?"

"Well they had a specific way of soul manipulation. Granted it's different than what happened to Rex, but maybe they can provide some clues. Apparently the sisters mixed ingredients together and fed it to their victim. The victim would glow with their life essence and they would proceed to breathe it in…becoming much younger." Her boyfriend groaned loudly and muttered under his breath about spells and curses. She thought perhaps now was not the best time to bring up her earlier sighting of the door with the symbols on it. "You're already freaking out, aren't you?"

"You're expecting me to take all this in lightly? God, this shit terrifies me! Not because I don't understand it, just…I don't know how to take it all in. What are you getting yourself into, Jade?"

"Nothing. I'm not practicing this dark stuff, only researching…"

"That's not the point!" His voice rose a bit, not surprisingly. He took a deep breath and Jade closed her eyes. "The point is someone out there, whoever it is, _is _practicing this sort of thing. That means they're not afraid to use other types of this dark magic stuff! If you get too close, what are you going to do?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something."

Beck let out another frustrated sigh. "Okay fine. What about the Sanders Sisters. What happened to them? They die? They alive?" Jade hummed as she scrolled down the site to find the true story regarding them. Her eyebrows rose and the right corner of her lip tucked back into her cheek as she read the story.

"Well the movie based on them only got the soul manipulation right, everything else was blown out to proportion. Such as the cat, Binx. He was _not_ on the good side, he was considered to be what is known as a 'familiar', or someone granted shape-shift powers from a witch practicing dark magic, and his memory was wiped to the point of total mind control-and a shape-shift can only turn into the type of animal given to them by the witch.

"Damn."

"Yeah, and the setting of the movie was 1993, however the real sisters arrived about thirty years before that-1960 where, yes, someone lit a cursed candle. They attempted to drain the lives of children _and_ teenagers. Their opinion was they preferred children because they were 'purer' than teens or adults, but both can be drained. Eventually they tried to drain the life out of an unknown woman who practiced witchcraft herself. This is where the story gets twisted from the truth. Evidently this woman didn't want to be known, so she told a couple of teenagers involved to take credit-one of which ended up making the movie years later anyway-and wound up draining the three witches of their own lives."

"So she was a dark witch too?"

"Yeah…not much is given on the fight between all of them, it just says that she drained them of their life-but it doesn't say _how_. Some sort of hex or curse, it has to be. It also says when the three sisters died, the cat did too-but only due to age."

"So the witch that killed them. It never gave info on who it was? If you could find that witch and ask about-no bad idea-never-mind." She took a deep breath and lifted her shoulders.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea."

"Well you said it yourself, that was a dark witch, so you probably shouldn't mess with it." It was doubtful the dark witch was even alive at this point. The woman was in her forties or fifties at the time.

"I think she was like my mom's age, Beck. There's no way she'd be alive, and if she were, she'd probably be way too old to remember or do anything."

"I suppose so. Maybe I should be grateful for that…" She did admire his concern, but at the same time, it was a bit overbearing for her. He was too frightened of things that would never come to fruition, and if she ran into trouble from _anyone_, she'd always been confident she could take care of herself. "Geez, I miss the time where the biggest stressor was worrying about your mother's next volatile explosion. Now there's an asshole eating souls or whatever and you-" Suddenly a spark lit up in her mind as she steadied her gaze on the website.

"That's it!" She gasped and her tone rose in her excitement. "Beck you're a genius. I know what to look for!"

"Oh. Great." There was a flair of disappointment in his voice, suggesting he didn't really want her to look too much into it. "So I guess you're just going to keep getting deeper and deeper?"

"I do have a lot to work towards, Beck. Anyway, I'll talk to you tomorrow, you should get some sleep."

"I think I will. Goodnight…Love you, Jade."

"I love you too." She hung up the phone and dropped it beside her leg. Her lower lip tucked under the corner of her teeth as she furiously typed in the Google toolbar. _Witchcraft dark magic, soul devouring._

Many results came through, but one stood out among the rest as a possibility. She clicked on it and looked over to the door as her mother's music shifted to Beethoven's fifth symphony in C Minor-perhaps his most famous symphony. Her foot tapped the air rhythmically as she returned her attention to the newly opened site.

As she scrolled down, she read out a piece that drew her attention in and brought her heart to a crashing halt. "Indirect soul manipulation. Using another to place hex on the soul of a fresh deceased to control them. As their spirit hangs against their will, they grow malicious and anyone killed by their violent rages will be sent to the witch or warlock as a spirit to be devoured. By using another to do the deed, people such as witch hunters, or 'light witches' cannot accurately trace the original."

In summation and to her understanding, this meant that the warlock intentionally taught Robbie to use a dark spell against his knowledge and placed a hex on his brother's spirit so that when Rex turned malicious, he would begin to kill, and anyone killed would be sent to the warlock to be devoured.

She cleared her throat and continued to scroll, searching for possible reasons of devouring spirits. Like the Sanders Sisters, her fears were confirmed. "The most common reason dark witches would devour the souls of the dead is to reduce their age, their appearance, or to seek immortality."

It was a damn good thing, then, that she'd released Rex. However, this gave her more reason to fear what she'd already pondered many times before with the apparent warlock still walking. There had to be others somewhere, and if there was, then she wasn't sure how long it would be until they began to turn malicious.

A more heart-stopping matter was her lack of knowledge in the deeper acts of witchcraft and spells. She could do a ritual to free a spirit from an inanimate object-with permission of the one who bound them-but humans took a magic much stronger than hers. She'd need to do more research, but she would more than likely need a mentor.

Maybe now was a time to seek someone that would know more than her and could teach her. Meddling was also not the best thing to do, especially since she would have no idea where to find any of these bound souls or even know how to convince anyone that they were bound, but she had to _try_.

With a deep breath, she closed down the laptop and looked to the clock. It was after midnight, and her mother's piano playing had ceased. Exhausted and anxious, she needed her sleep and could continue another time.

"Beck…is going to be so pissed at me…"

* * *

Ah but Beck may not be too far off with his concerns. Though we did learn some interesting facts-I wonder who the witch was that killed the Sanders sisters off, you think she's really dead?


	7. Answers, or More Questions?

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N: You may find some familiar names, _all_ of which are made to fit the particular theme of this story. Familiar practicioners of witchcraft may be present.

* * *

Chapter 7 (Answers, or More Questions?)

Jade awoke to sound of her dog frantically snarling and chewing at a something. Her eyes shot open and she sat up with a start. A sudden breeze struck her face, cooling her cheeks. Perplexed, she glanced to the window, now cracked open. "I thought I closed that last night…" Her hand moved to her chest and she hurried over to the window and shut it, then looked down to her dog.

Spike was gnawing at a slip of paper, but more shocking to her was that his teeth were not tearing through it. She bent over, sweeping her hand in front of Spike. "Shoo, go on boy." Spike dropped the paper, whimpering as she grabbed it off the floor, studying it closely.

It looked to be torn out of a journal and had a glossy tint to it that, along with the note scribbled down, led her to believe someone may have enchanted the object to avoid destruction. _Jade…_ Her heart took an anxious skip and she looked down to the dog. Spike bowed his head and slowly licked at her leg, tickling her. _Please come to Echo Park at the tip of Grand View Dr. overlooking the Elysian Reservoir. 12:00 sharp. Go alone, do not bring your boyfriend-friends-or your parents. You will find answers from the coven that will try to answer your difficult questions, they will know to expect you. You will not find me there, but I will come to you-when the time is right._

Jade tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up and out the window. Her heartbeat grew heavy and her body began to chill. Who would send her this note? Why? The more pressing question was, did she dare to go? "I-I don't…" It was the 'come alone' aspect that terrified her. Even if she wanted to involve her mom or dad, the mention of them being asked not to come was a bit frightening for her. She took a deep breath, her eyes flickered over the letters once more and her body shuddered for a second. "Coven…so the person practices witchcraft." It wasn't anyone she knew, that was clear to her.

She was tempted to take Spike, but as she gazed down to her dog, she felt a terrible pit growing in her stomach. He was still whimpering as though he was scared of something. Crouching down, Jade rubbed the dog's head and kissed the small space between his eyes. "It's all right Spike. What's wrong?" She leaned back and looked to the note once more, picking up a distinct odor of herbal ingredients. "Protection herbs?" Someone went out of their way to get this to her, but what was the reason for the herbs? There was no evil force here.

"Jade!" Morgan's shout startled her upright. She looked to her closed door and furrowed her brow. "Get up already, your breakfast is getting cold! Do not make me drag you out of the bed!"

"Coming, _mother_." She folded the paper and pushed it into her nightgown's pant pocket.

At high noon, Jade made her way to the location instructed and found a path into the wooded area. A lump formed in her throat as she followed it. Soon she came to a clearing that had a Cliffside overlooking the reservoir. At the edge was a circle of benches around a small metal circle the park used for people burn wood and start a campfire.

Seated were five older women. One was a tall woman with greying hair, a straight face, and gentle smile. She was wearing a yellow tee and denim jeans. Beside her was a woman with a similar face but with a pink turtleneck and brown jeans. On the other side of them were two twins, dark skinned and with curly black hair. They seemed to be the youngest of the group, but still older than she was. They were both wearing purple outfits. In the middle, sitting at the far end, was a middle aged woman with long brown hair.

A black cat shot out from between her legs and hopped up on the empty bench. For a minute, she thought she could detect a flicker of a smile on the cat's lips, which startled her. The women looked towards her, each acknowledging her presence. "Um…I thought there were more to a coven?" She flinched with embarrassment. _How_ was that the first thing out of her mouth?

"Sometimes there are," Replied the brunette, "But we're the ones that were asked to be here." The woman rose to her feet and walked forward, putting her hand to her chest. "I'm Piper." She turned to the group sitting down, pointing towards each of them. "The cat is Salem. The twins are Camryn and Alexandra, and the two women there are Zelda and Hilda. We lead this coven during the meetings…you must be Jade?"

"Yeah. Jade West. I guess you're the leader of the coven?"

"Not exactly, but for today I'm leading this meeting. We assume you have questions?"

"Yeah, sort of. I mean…" She scratched at her hair and closed her eyes, shaking her head. She never fathomed being in this situation, to actually speak with actual practicing witches. "I'm just really starting to learn about witchcraft. I was thinking maybe…I don't know, there's a certain warlock I've been trying to find while also trying to find out about this type of dark magic I've come across." The women frowned and Jade inhaled once more. "I'm not practicing it, though…"

"What's the dark magic?" Camryn asked.

"Well, recently I helped release a soul bound spirit of my friend's brother. It was bound to a puppet by a mysterious warlock that tempted him with the teaching in the moment of his brother's death." She saw Hilda and Zelda shoot a look at each other, each biting their lips anxiously. Piper's eyebrows flattened and her arms crossed over her chest.

"Soul binding is an incredibly powerful type of dark magic. It takes a lot to release a bound spirit. You were able to pull off that ritual?"

"Well yes and no. I know humans are much harder-and I only released the spirit from a puppet. I don't know a lot about witchcraft, so…yeah…My dog was chewing on that note someone sent me-for some reason he wasn't able to tear it."

"Of course not." Piper took the sheet of paper from her and tugged at the sides. The paper creased and stretched, but it did not tear. "There is a type of protective spell placed on it to prevent destruction."

"Why? There's nothing dangerous about my house-or well, my dog. I do have an abusive mother, but that's another issue altogether." Jade looked towards the cat and started to smile to cover up the nervous vibe she was receiving from its studious yellow eyes. "Anyway. I did want to know how to detect one of these bound spirits, I guess."

"And if you found one, how exactly were you planning on releasing it? A puppet is one thing, but a human-as you realize-is another altogether." While looking to the others, she began to get the feeling they knew more about her than they were letting off. What of the mysterious note sender? Who was she-and Jade could only assume it was a she since these women were. "But if you were to run into one, there are ways to tell-one of those things being their own personality. They would be much different than they were in life. If they were peaceful, calm, they'd be angry and bitter. There are many behavior patterns that would be there. Over the years they'd began to decay, slowly, and constant itching would be a possible sign of that."

"Have you ever met one of these people?" She walked forward with Piper and sat down next to the cat. Piper returned to her own bench, but did not sit. She turned back around and looked into Jade's eyes with a broad range of experience and wisdom. "Maybe?"

"I've met a lot of things with my sisters, but a soul bound against its will? I think I may have seen one. They do get violent, though, murderous. A witch might bind a soul for the purpose of killing someone without themselves being traced." Piper unfolded her arms and sighed heavily. "Unless it's random, then it could be a different thing altogether."

She recalled the article from the night before and instantly jerked upright. "Soul devouring? Could that be it?" Piper raised an eyebrow. "I read an article last night that talked about witches who would somehow devour a spirit to take in eternal youth or immortality. Like the Sanders sisters did."

"It's possible," Zelda answered. "That is a big case of dark magic. Breaking the laws of the world in such a way could have devastating consequences. It may also be a witch that does not follow the wiccan religion."

"How would I find the warlock though?"

"If you did, how would you fight him?"

"I…don't know…" Piper chuckled and Jade's head fell. She felt so little in the presence of those much more experienced with witchcraft. "It's true, I have a lot to learn, but I also just want to stop this person before they cause more havoc."

"A witch or warlock that eats souls gains also the energy of that person," Alexandria remarked. Jade turned her eyes towards the twin with the ponytail and furrowed her brow. "So depending on how long this person has been on the earth, they would be fairly powerful."

"Well. I'd be careful…I just want to solve this mystery. If I figure out who it is, maybe I could come to you guys?"

"We'd be more than happy to help you out," Piper answered. "We can teach you whatever you'd like to know about the craft. It takes a lot of patience though, and you'll never learn if you don't try."

"Okay. Another thing. Why does it feel like I'm being watched? I mean-the note kind of implies it…" Piper frowned at her and lifted her shoulders.

"Unfortunately that is something I can't reveal at this time. There is a good reason for everything, but all in good time." She bit the lower corner of her lip and looked down as Piper moved towards her. The woman's hands drifted to her lower jaw and her gaze drifted up to hers. "Just relax Jade, everything will be made clear to you soon. You can't know everything yet, but when the time is right, you will. It's our job to prepare you for that."

"For what? Prepare me for _what?"_

Piper held the note up and Jade gazed curiously at the handwriting. "The person that wrote this note will answer that question for you."

"That's not helpful…"

"I know, and I'm sorry, but she was very specific."

Jade curled her fingers into her palms, grasping her pants firmly between her knuckles. Hilda cleared her throat and Jade's eyes snapped towards the woman. "You went to the cemetery recently, correct?" She was taken aback by the woman's question, but at the same time, not surprised that she would know. With everything these women knew, it couldn't be helped. "You should return there this Saturday night."

"Why? What will be there?"

"An answer to one of your questions."

"Okay." She answered with a defeated sigh. Whenever the one watching her chose to reveal herself, that was when she'd get the answer to the other burning question of hers: Who were these women? How did they know anything about her, and why were they even interested in her?

For the first time since she started looking at witchcraft, she was _scared_. At the same time, she felt a peculiar kind of calmness that seemed to lull her into a strange state of security.

* * *

So the cemetery, what may she find at the cemetery? Same one she went to before. So maybe the person that's been watching Jade isn't bad, but what's the connection? I can almost guarantee you won't figure out the connection, haha.


	8. Something Amiss

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 8 (Something Amiss)

At the Vega home, Jade waited for Tori to finish with homework so they could hang out. Her mind was still racing from the earlier meeting with the witches. They wanted her to visit some cemetery on Saturday night, which was a week away, and for as much as she loved cemeteries, she truly wanted to avoid going. Whatever they wanted her to see, she was sure didn't need to see. Although, she wasn't going to blow off these women.

She'd been taking a small catnap, but it was disturbed by a nightmare in which an old woman with long silver hair and pointy nails was reaching out for her. Her eyes had grown dim and soulless, as if her mind were taken over by some sort of spell that kept free thought away. Her dreams were filled with strangeness, such as her being forced to bind souls to dead bodies.

"All done!" Tori's voice startled her from the couch. She looked up as her friend made her way to the living room. "What do you want to do? Trina's asleep, mom's gardening, dad's…drinking again…so it's just you and me. " She furrowed her brow and felt a sting of curiosity.

"Why does your dad drink so much? Is he an alcoholic or something? Your family has more problems than any family I've seen…which is weird, because I saw a home movie that seems to imply otherwise..."

"I don't know what it is. Daddy's been like this for years now. Ever since…" Tori glanced to the stairs and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, ever since I was ten. Things have been different for us. But everything gets better, I know it does. There's really nothing wrong with this family."

"Except your dad wants Trina to go away, let's his best friend screw his wife, and stays the hell away from you. Not to mention, your mom and sister hate all of us, I can see the way they look at us with those glares of theirs." Usually raw and red eyes, angry and as if to fill some sort of bloodlust. She didn't know what it was that made them hate the world, but it was concerning. "Were they always so angry? Maybe I could send them to the anger management class Beck's taking-it might make him feel less troubled to have someone else his age there."

"I don't know. Mom and Trina have always been great, and they still are." Tori threw herself onto the couch and kicked her heels up on the coffee table. She smiled at a family photo above the television, and Jade followed her gaze.

It was a Walmart photo of a young eight year old Tori standing beside her father in a recliner. Holly stood behind him, her hands around his shoulders, and Trina had her arms thrown around his neck and was kissing his cheek. The picture filled Jade with a sense of calm, but also a little envy in the sense that she wished she could have that type of family.

"My mom doesn't even know how to be happy, dad's growing more and more listless by the day…I envy your family, Tori. I really do."

Tori frowned and pulled her gaze away, shaking her head in denial. "There's really nothing to envy, Jade. I mean sure we're happy, but you know we fight a lot. It's probably because of dad's drinking."

Just as she said that, David was walking behind them. He paused and shot a quick glare at his daughter. "Yes Tori, it's my drinking that's the problem." Jade flinched and looked back as David moved towards the door. Tori looked back and smiled half-heartedly.

"I love you, daddy." David pushed open the door with a grunt and slowly looked over his shoulders. He had dark circles around his eyes and a sunken face. He'd managed to get no sleep, from what it appeared. "Dad? Where are you going?"

"Out." The door slammed behind him and Tori bowed her head. This was really the first sign to Jade that something was dreadfully wrong, but she had no idea what. What made David hate his daughter so much? Or was she misreading the emotion in his eyes? He looked confused and scared, not hateful.

Try as she might, she had a feeling that Tori may be against the idea of therapy. "You know something, Tori? For the years we've been friends, I've never really heard you talk much about your family." Tori's eyes lit up and her mouth grew wide.

"You've never shown much interest in them. None of you guys have. There's a lot that you don't know, like how Momma was a radiologist and Trina was a gymnast when she was six. I always wanted to be a dancer, though I did hang around in her shadow some. I wanted to be just like my big sister." Jade raised an eyebrow and watched as Tori rubbed her knees and looked up to the photo.

"You don't want to be like her now?" Tori swept her hair over her shoulder and closed her eyes, chuckling softly.

"Oh no, I still do. Trina's the most awesome big sister ever. She's always been protective of me, like any big sister should be. Momma raised us up with the greatest morals, and daddy? Trina was daddy's little girl. His favorite, but I think he loves us both equally."

"Right. Equal love. I guess that was before alcoholism took hold?"

"Alcoholism is what is causing all the drama in this family, to be honest. Dad started drinking when I was ten. I don't know what caused it, but yeah…" Tori was blaming her father for all the problems in the family, but yet, Holly and Trina were the ones that seemed to be the angriest. It could be the alcoholism or Holly's affair. "I don't really want to talk about Dad's drinking though. I mean, I worry about him. I don't want to lose him…losing him terrifies me…"

She heard a light sob and quickly glanced to Tori in time to see a startling sight. Tears were glistening in her eyes. "Are you crying? Why?" Tori reached over, grabbing her wrist with a deathlike grip and looking into her eyes with tremendous sorrow.

"I don't want to lose my family. I'm scared to death of losing them, Jade. You don't understand-alcoholism is tearing us apart-mom's affair is tearing us apart. Trina doesn't even want to be with us anymore, and I'm scared!" Jade's eyebrows shot up as Tori leaned forward, her body trembling with each gentle and silent sob.

She reached around, patting Tori's back. "It's okay, Tori. You won't lose them. I'm sure of it." The girl shook her head. Jade looked towards the glass door leading to the back and froze when she saw Holly peering inside.

The woman's nostrils were flaring out, her red hair was falling before her face, and her hands were covered in dirt and mud. It was a look that resembled Morgan in her more ferocious times. She closed her eyes and turned her head away, struggling against the flashes of her mother appearing before her in a full rage.

When she opened her eyes, Holly was gone. The door was still shut and the back patio light was on. Jade shook her head, figuring she'd been seeing things. Ever since her strange dream, everything was terrifying her.

Tori leaned back and wiped her eyes, sniffling as she did. "Where is Beck, anyway?"

"He's at his anger management class. It's amusing, you should see him afterwards. He gets all upset because he can't stand being the only teenager there." Tori laughed while Jade glimpsed at the stairs. Trina was slowly making her way down the steps.

The elder sister was in a golden night top with matching bottoms. She had red slippers on her feet. Her face was covered by her long brown hair, and she was scratching at her head. "Hey Tori, Trina's up. Maybe we could play cards or something?" Tori moved up from the couch and called out to Trina, who simply turned her tired eyes onto Tori.

"What do you want?" Trina muttered. "I just got up."

"I think we should play cards. Maybe a board game."

"No thanks, my head is killing me." Trina shuffled to the kitchen and opened the door. Jade watched with disgust as the girl grabbed a carton of milk, uncapped it and brought it up over her lips. Tori rushed over and swiped the milk away, earning a growl from her dearest sibling.

"Don't do that when we have guests, Trina. Come on…"

Trina sneered and slammed the fridge door shut. "Whatever." The girl began scratching at her arm, muttering under her breath. Jade could see the rashes from where Trina had been scratching, and they looked almost like dead skin all along her body.

"I really think you need to seek medical help for that itching," she suggested. Jade got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. "It's not healthy to scratch that much." Trina shrugged and started back for the stairs.

"Whatever. I'll get it checked out whenever."

"Hospitals aren't the best place for her," Tori remarked with a sad expression. She clasped her wrists at her waist and stretched her arms. "It's fine though. I mean, I don't know what's causing the itch, but mom and Trina don't want to go to the hospital. I'm trying to convince them to make an appointment, but it's really difficult."

"Difficult to convince them to be concerned about their health?"

"No, difficult to make an appointment. The doctor doesn't really like to schedule either of them, he says they're 'unpleasant' to be around. I don't know why, it's the same problem all of you have with them I guess." As far as Jade was concerned, she didn't know what problem the friends had with either Holly or Trina. She herself only ever talked down to them because of her own mental issues, which she was working to get past, so there really wasn't an issue there.

"I don't think we have problems with them, Tori. Maybe they creep the others out, who knows. Maybe the family drama _is_ too much for them, they've got issues too."

"Like what?"

"Take Andre for instance." She guided Tori back to the couch and sat down. Her lips fell into a frown and her shoulders rose. "His mom and dad are both gone, he lives with his grandmother-who is batty and insane. Beck's father is almost never around, and his mom pretty much ruined religion for him by forcing him to go to church growing up-and still forcing him to follow all her religious beliefs. Robbie lost his brother years ago, and Cat? Well, you know how her younger brother is, and with her older brother in the army and her grandmother in a retirement home-Sam's all she's got. Everyone's got family drama, so you know we understand, right?"

"I don't know if anyone can understand my problem."

"Why's that?"

"Don't know…" Tori put her hands behind her head and gazed absently at the wall in front of them. Jade pressed her lips together as Tori closed her eyes. "Everyone always thinks, when there's something wrong, that their problem is worse than anyone else in the world. That's pretty general. Everyone thinks nobody else can understand what they go through, and usually that thought process is wrong, but me? I might be a special case."

"Why? Because your dad's an alcoholic and your family's growing apart when you guys used to be so close knit? You're the one that's being optimistic, saying that there's hope and your family will make it through any drama, right?"

"And sometimes even I'm dragged down by it all. Don't worry, I'll be fine tomorrow." Tori flashed a smile. Jade exhaled and nodded slowly in return.

"Yeah, I suppose that's right. Everything will be fine, Tori."

* * *

Well further insight on the Vega problem, I wonder what exactly happened to lead to such a transformation.


	9. Something Sinister

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 9 (Something Sinister)

"I'd prefer making this date last all night," Beck said while sitting across from Jade at a booth. It was Saturday, and he knew well what the women at the coven told her to do. He was so adamant about her not getting involved in things that he said were 'beyond her control', but she felt bad if she didn't involve herself. "Anyway, let's not worry too much about it now and focus on our date."

"Yeah." She opened her menu just as the server walked up to ask what they'd like. After Beck ordered his meal, she scoured the page for the option she'd seen earlier. "I think I'd like to try the lemon pepper chicken. For sides, mashed potatoes and green beans." The server wrote down the choice and she thanked him.

Beck smiled at her and folded his forearms over each other on the table. "Lemon pepper chicken. Good choice." He leaned back in his seat and looked into her eyes with a gentle smile. "Jade, I'm sorry if I've been insensitive lately…" She tucked her hair back over her ear, raising her eyebrows as her heart skipped a beat.

"No, you haven't been." She wasn't angry with him over anything, she may be annoyed with him, but he was just being a concerned boyfriend. "I know you're just afraid something bad could happen-I don't want to try and shove it down your throat. I'm not your mom, I won't do that to you. Just, all I ask is you have patience with me when I try new things."

"I'm trying. Some things scare the shit out of me, but I'm trying. I love you, more than you know, and to think you could get involved in something that might hurt you…It's not something I like to imagine."

She sipped on her glass of water and glanced off to the side. "You're the only one that knows what I'm involved in. I don't think the others would take too lightly to it-probably just make them more afraid of me or something." Her eyes drifted down towards the table and her lips fell into a deep frown. "I know through everything I've done, people won't always like me or be less fearful of me, but I wish they would give me a chance. You've seen how people were at school."

"Is that why you're getting into witchcraft stuff? To get people to like you more?"

"It's not exactly like that. Granted yes, I hope that if people see the calmer side of me, maybe they'll like me." She folded her hands over and gently ran her thumb along her wrist as she drew out a sharp breath. "You know I'm doing this because I want to find a way to be calmer."

Everyone had their thing. Beck took anger management, Andre played the piano, Cat spent her time with her friends just like Robbie, and she decided to try new things. There was nothing wrong with expansion.

"So this cemetery the women told you to visit, same one Rex is buried? Did they ask you to go alone?"

"No, they just told me there's someone that goes there every Saturday at 8:00. Usually the only person there at that time, I guess they want me to meet them." Maybe it was the woman that had been watching over her. If so, she had a lot of questions for her. "I don't think I need to do it alone. If you're concerned about something, maybe you can come along."

To be honest, she would feel much more comfortable with Beck there, than to go it alone. "You want me there with you? Who knows who the person is that goes there. A mourner, probably, but could also be crazy."

"To be honest, I'm hoping it's the woman that sent me that note. Maybe I'll meet her there."

"Wouldn't that person want you to meet her without me? She had you go to that coven without anyone else." He had a good point posed, which did cause her some extra concern that maybe this person wasn't that woman. Her brow furrowed and she leaned up against the wall with a heavy sigh.

"Maybe. So maybe it's not her. If that's the case…I don't know who it would be they want me to meet." As she pressed her lips together and rubbed her arm, contemplating the matter, the thought that it was something the witches wanted her to see was not so far off. "Or, they're trying to get me to figure something out. Maybe it's the guy I've been hunting. Robbie still doesn't know anything, does he?"

"Actually I did talk to him about Rex the other day." Jade's jaw dropped and she leaned forward, eager to hear more. Her boyfriend sipped on his soda for a couple seconds before setting down the glass. "He said he barely remembered the guy's name-but that it was Paul. The man was around the same age as your father, but he wasn't your father-obviously. Evidently, he taught Robbie how to use that one soul binding spell, but not before reciting some sort of strange chant. That's about all Robbie says he remembers." Even a name was helpful, because now that she had a _name_ to work with, she could ask the women at the coven, and hope they recognized it. 'Paul' was pretty broad, however.

"Well. It's better than nothing."

"True." Beck reclined and gazed down at the loaf of bread sitting in a basket on the center of the table. His hand brushed along his chin and his brow meshed together. "So have you given much thought to what's you're going to do if you find this person?"

"I don't know. I mean the girls at the coven might recognize the name…" She was afraid to confirm his fears by saying she hadn't thought anything of it, but she didn't want to lie and omit the fact that she honestly didn't plan that far ahead. He cast up an eyebrow and her heart began to pound as her nerves shot up. "I um-"

"So you _didn't_ plan for after finding him?" His voice began to rise and Jade started to shrink back. "What did you think was going to happen, Jade? You were just going to tell him to cut the shit he was doing and he'd stop? You need to know what you're getting into!"

"I know! I just…I was spending so much time trying to find out who this guy was that I may have neglected actually thinking of what to do after I found him." Beck relaxed with a heavy sigh and moved his hand up to his forehead, groaning softly. "Beck? Don't be mad…"

"I'm not. I just wish you wouldn't keep diving right into stuff. You're smart enough to know what to avoid."

"I just have a lot going on lately, more unanswered questions that keep popping up everywhere." She expected to get her answers through the very witchcraft that she was learning, but at the same time, yes it brought about some hefty concerns for her. Nothing too overbearing though. "Like those nightmares." His eyebrow hung still in the air and his lips fell into a frown.

"Nightmares?"

"They're getting worse and worse. I know I told you about them."

"You told me about one or two you had a couple days ago, maybe a week or two ago." She told him about the nightmare she had with the old woman reaching out for her, as well as the ones with this very woman forcing her into being a slave to do her bidding with dark magic.

"Yeah." In the corner of her eyes she thought she saw a glimpse of a woman matching the description that Cat and Tori told her about, but not jumping to weird assumptions about this woman that was seemingly listening to her, she thought little of it. "Like, I had this dream…only I was in 1700's style clothes and working to bind as many souls as I could so they'd go out and murder the living over the years, sending their spirits to this witch that was controlling me. I had no say, no opinion, nothing…" Beck closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as Jade continued on with a tremble in her voice.

"Then I had another, only I was standing at the gallows during the Salem Witch Trials. I'd been working to find a way to preserve a witch, the same witch I keep seeing in all my dreams, and this time I was taking the fall for something _she_ did. Instead of her being accused of learning witchcraft, _I_ was the one standing accused. I was the one slated to die…and I didn't even care…"

"Dreams are from the subconscious, so maybe…is there anything you're afraid of?"

"Not really. I mean, I know you don't do well with the spiritual stuff, but I'm just trying to learn new things. Granted mom, and maybe dad, would like for me not to do it this way, but it's the best thing I can find, and I really don't see anything wrong with it. I don't think the nightmares have anything to do with me practicing witchcraft." She tapped her chin and slanted her eyes. "Besides…"

"Besides?"

"The first dream I had was before all of this-it was the first dream that made me consider it." The very first dream she had was a full month ago. It consisted of this very same silver haired witch casting a spell on her and transforming her into a small animal that could change into human and do the bidding of the witch. "I wanted to learn a little more and see what it was all about…maybe find a way to get away from that witch."

"I think the witch is just a part of the dreams, a manifestation of all your worries and stuff. I don't know." Jade brushed her hair back over her shoulder and shrugged with uncertainty.

"Then why is it the same woman? Can you tell me that?"

"Probably just the figment of what your subconscious is associating with."

Her voice grew flat and her eyelids fell halfway as she stared towards her skeptical boyfriend. "The other thing-that witch matches the identity of the witch that fought and killed the Sanders sisters decades ago." It was almost like someone or something was putting these dreams in her head, but why, she didn't know.

"Again, I think it's just a bunch of dreams."

"Maybe. There's a lot of strange stuff going on, like with the Vegas. You know, they're nothing like how Tori describes them in her childhood-or how they were in that home movie…"

"People do change, Jade. Families change…You know Holly had that affair, which probably led to David's drinking problem, which could have led to his 'favorite daughter' wanting nothing more to do with the family and being so angry at the world…all of which makes Tori incredibly scared that she's going to lose her family-because that's where their path is heading."

"I love and hate how you rationalize everything like that." He laughed heartily and reached over, cupping his hand around hers and smiling warmly.

"I love you, Jade. Always will."

"Love you too."

That evening, Jade guided Beck into the cemetery, clutching his hand tight as though letting go meant losing him. It was strangely dark and more ominous than she was expecting, but half of it she figured was just her nerves over the mystery of who they'd find waiting for them.

"I may have said it before, but why would this mysterious woman not want you coming alone this time around? Maybe it's not her…"

"I don't know." She heard an owl sound off in the distance and felt a cold chill down her spine. They truly were alone in the cemetery, but at the same time, she could feel another presence.

Then in the dead of silence, she heard a peculiar and faint sound cutting through. It was a shivering noise. "Beck. You hear that?" Her voice lowered to a whisper and Beck cast his eyes up to the sky, listening intently. They moved in the direction of the noise, which caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end. The closer they walked, the more it sounded like a man weeping.

"Just somebody mourning, Jade. The person the coven told you about, I guess? Maybe a mourner."

"If that's the case, then they might not be expecting visitors…The women want me to see something, to find something out-to learn."

"Question is-what?" Her eyes scanned the fog covered grounds, searching the tombstones away from mausoleums and crypts. Her studious search was broken by Beck's sudden shout. "Look! Over there at the Vega crypt-the door's open."

"What?" Her eyes flew towards the location of the Vega memorial grounds, and indeed the door to the mausoleum was open. Inside the door was a figure crouched down. He had broad shoulders, short brown hair, a gun in his right hand and a bottle of half-drank whiskey beside him. "Oh my god…is that Mr. Vega?"

"Yeah, but what's he doing here?" David moved the gun under his chin, whimpering heavily as he performed what may have been a weekly ritual. Jade and Beck cried out and ran for him, hoping to stop him from this act, only to find him throwing the gun to the side and crying out with a deep bellow.

"Mr. Vega, think of your family!"

David jerked back, startled, and fell back against the wall. He grabbed his pistol and aimed it for them, not recognizing them. "Stay back! Stay the fuck away!" Fear shot through Jade as Beck extended an arm out across her, keeping her from going towards him. The man's stern face was now weak and stained with tears, his chest was heaving and his legs were scrambling to push him against the wall. "Family? What family! What family do I have?! What's real? I don't fucking know anymore…"

"Mr. Vega, please…" Jade pushed Beck's arm down and moved towards David, kneeling down in front of him despite Beck's protests. "You don't want to do this." She extended her hand and tried to comfort him with a friendly smile.

"Do what? This?" He narrowed his eyes and scowled at her, his hand was shaking violently and his voice deep with despair. "For eight years-eight fucking years I've come here. Every Saturday-I try to figure out what the hell is going on-I can't go on…I just can't! Then-" He slowly moved the pistol towards his temple and Jade gasped out. The man closed his eyes and started to tense. "I can't. I can't do it, because I don't know…how I'm going to come back."

"Come back? Mr. Vega, just think about your family. Tori, Trina, Mrs. Vega…you don't want to hurt them. They love you, if something were to happen-"

"Love? They're demons! The whole fucking lot of them!"

"How could you say that?" She heard Beck call her name, but dismissed him. "They're your _family_. Excuse me if I'm being rude-" Beck called out to her again, but she was too focused on the alcoholic father. "Not now, Beck. Mr. Vega, calling your own family-your wife, I can understand, but your _daughters'_ demons? That's not fair!"

"You don't get it-you don't understand what I'm dealing with. How can you? _I_ don't even understand, and I've tried to make sense of it for eight goddamn years when my little girl walked in with those_ things!_"

"Jade!" Beck screamed.

"What?!" She threw her gaze towards him to find him looking at the plaque on the wall. Her eyes drifted over to two distinct plaques with crosses above them and her body froze with fear as she finally understood what the coven witches wanted her to see.

_Holly Vega: Born September 3__rd__, 1963-Died August 4__th__, 2005_

_Katrina Vega: Born April 10__th__, 1993-Died August 4__th__, 2005_

David sighed heavily and narrowed his eyes. "So…if they're dead, then who's back home, you tell me."

* * *

Therein lies that issue


	10. Looming Dangers

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 10 (Looming Danger)

While Beck continued to stare in shock at the plaques, Jade took David's gun away from him. She didn't want him doing anything to hurt himself, especially since he still had Tori to look after. Granted, he was a very confused man and likely the reason he was so terse with Tori was because he didn't know how to react. "How is this possible?" Beck muttered, "It doesn't even…I was skeptical of the whole thing with Rex, but this…"

It had to be soul binding, and the thought of it terrified her. "I've never seen it with a person," Jade whispered while leaning into Beck. They were sitting against the wall of the mausoleum with David hunched over on the adjacent wall. Tears were streaming down his silent, anxious expression. "It must have been the tempter, and I think I know who."

"Mr. Vega?"

"No. Look at the guy. He's too shaken, probably has been this way every Saturday since whatever happened to Trina and Mrs. Vega. It would have to be someone young and naïve enough to believe they were really getting Trina and Mrs. Vega back." In other words, it was Tori, and she couldn't possibly fault Tori just as she hadn't faulted Robbie for binding his brother.

Beck swept his hand through his hair and Jade felt him tremble. "Tori did it? But she's so…she's not a bad person, I don't think she is."

"No she's not. It isn't her fault. It wasn't Robbie's either. It was that tempter-the Warlock." She pushed herself to her feet and swept the dust and dirt from the ground off her pants. David looked up as she knelt down beside him. "Mr. Vega. I don't know if it's too soon, but…but what happened? Can you tell me anything?" The man remained silent and stared on at the plaque, his muscles tensed and his face grew long.

"It's too much to think about," someone replied. Jade's eyes flew to the doorway where a man stood looking in with great sorrow. It was Gary, David's alleged best friend. She watched him walk in and throw a blanket around David's shoulders. "Then I deal with this ritual of David's every damn week. I know it's painful-and when Tori walked in the house that night with Holly and Trina…"

"So you know they're-you know-"

"Dead? Yeah. I was one of the first responders on the scene." Gary handed David a McDonald's coffee cup and rubbed the man's back. His brow furrowed together and a small wrinkle formed above his nose. "It rained heavily the prior night, and I believe Holly was taking Trina to the doctor." Jade held her breath and closed her eyes, imagining the two rushing for the hospital, whatever emergency it may have been. Perhaps a broken arm, or an illness, or maybe it was as simple as being late. Those were details that were not important to know anymore. "I guess their car hit a puddle, they spun out and slammed into a tanker. Both died on impact." Gary's chest expanded and he turned his gaze towards the broken man beside him. "My patrol car was the closest to the scene-right around the corner from the Vega home. I was going to check on David since he wasn't working that day-he was sick with pneumonia at the time."

"I'm sorry." Her heart clenched and a shiver shot down her spine. The tragic, heartbreaking story truly was too much to think about. "Tori must have taken it badly."

"Tori saw it happen."

Her head jerked up and her eyes widened as her heartbeat began to increase. "What? She was there?"

"Yes. I think she was playing in the yard, heard the crash, and ran around to see her mom's car." Gary's jaw grew firm and his eyes narrowed. "I got there and they were gone. Blood was all over the place, and the trucker knew they were there, but somehow they just vanished along with Tori…we looked everywhere for her, and the day after the funeral-she came home. With Trina, and Holly…"

It was a nightmare, and that was only what Jade could imagine. She couldn't fathom the amount of fear going through David's mind after losing his wife and daughter, having his youngest go missing.

"I am _so _sorry. For everything." She looked into David's trembling gaze and pressed her lips firmly together. "I can't imagine the pain you must have gone through with that."

"How am I supposed to deal with it?" David asked in a weakened, raspy tone of voice. "I can't tell people they're alive-especially if they're not. I can't tell people they should be dead-imagine a man saying his wife and daughter should die. I don't know what Tori did…I can't even begin to talk to her."

"You should. It isn't her fault, Mr. Vega. You're all the other person has…"

He clenched his eyes shut and began to shake his head. "She lives every day like a fantasy, pretending that walking around with her dead mom and sister is _okay._ She's never been to the cemetery, wasn't there at the funeral, and doesn't acknowledge that her mother and sister aren't alive anymore."

"I thought they were alive," Beck protested. Jade shot him a glare and he gently shook his head. "This is more of that witchcraft stuff, isn't it…"

"There's only one person that knows what happened." Jade breathed in slowly and looked up to the grave plaques. "Tori." It was also the closest she was going to get to finding the mysterious tempter, but the unfortunate part was, Tori might not be so approving. She didn't realize how much danger she was in, and likely, neither did David or Gary. "Everything comes with a price. I think that's the rule."

"Why would someone do this?" David inquired while choking on a sob. "Why would someone torture a family this way? My wife, my daughter, they're nothing like they were when they were truly alive. They've become…complete opposites…"

Jade started to say something, but instead, a familiar voice answered for her. "That's because it's not them, Mr. Vega." In the doorway of the mausoleum was Piper, a calming sight for Jade. David started to tense as Piper folded her arms across her chest. "Their souls have been bound by a hex-but over time spirits bound against their will turn malicious until perhaps it is a demon that is bound to them. I suggest you and your daughter find somewhere safe. Eight years have passed, they could turn murderous any day now."

David swallowed and looked from her to Jade, then back to Piper. "What are you talking about? They've been angry all these years-but murderous?"

"Your wife and eldest daughter, I think you are aware, are not your wife and child." Piper swept her hair over her shoulder and slowly took the half drank bottle of whiskey from David. "What is happening is the hex placed on them will cause anyone they kill-their spirits-to be sent directly to the one responsible for…consumption. Over time decay sets in, your wife's and daughter's bodies will cease to exist and their own souls will truly be bound to Earth for all eternity, destined to never pass over."

"H-How do you know?"

"We've seen it happen." Piper turned to Jade and closed her eyes. "There's still a lot more for you to learn." Jade pressed her lips together and nodded, but she could see a brief flash of anger spark in her boyfriend's eyes.

"I won't let it happen!" Beck exclaimed with a rising tone. Jade's eyes widened as Beck stepped forward, growling out his protectiveness. "I won't let her get hurt!"

Piper furrowed her brow onto him and remained calm while his body began to tense. Jade reached out and put her hand to his shoulder, hoping to calm him. "I know you're concerned about your girlfriend, but there is nothing you can do about what is happening."

"The hell I can't! The deeper she gets into all this witchcraft shit, the more dangerous the stuff is that she's getting involved in! I'm sick of it, I don't want to lose her to some freak out there!" She withdrew her hand and frowned, unable to think of anything to calm him.

"That knowledge is safer than ignorance. It will be better for her to learn than for her to never know."

"Our friend's family is 'dead', and I think not knowing might have been a little easier on the psyche, don't you?"

"But then you would not be prepared for when they kill you." Jade felt another sudden chill and rubbed her arms while looking towards the door. She didn't want to stay any longer than she had to, and she didn't want Beck to argue with this woman.

"Enough of this," Jade groaned, "We have to free them, right? I know it's probably harder than it was to deal with Rex-but still…"

Piper crossed her arms and bowed her head slightly. "You would have to get permission from the one that allowed their spirits to be bound. Which means you have to convince your friend to accept that her mother and her sister are not living." Convincing Tori to accept and cope with the loss was going to be difficult, especially seeing how the girl acted with them. It was clear there might be a big case of denial involved.

"I guess there's probably a deadline…"

"Depends." Piper gave David a frown and lowered her arms to her sides as the man gazed up at her with great concern. "The reason I say to get Tori to safety is because when a bound spirit kills-their first victim is almost always the one that allowed them to be trapped. Much like Robbie's arm had been chewed up, Tori would be the first to be killed by the very faces of the people she loves."

"Oh…" Her heart crashed into the ground and her knees came close to buckling beneath her. She saw the devastation spread across David's face, and Beck paled considerably.

"You're also new with witchcraft, you'll have to become stronger to even free the two spirits. There's a lot to learn, and a lot you need to prepare for."

"Like what?" She was eager to learn, but afraid as well. "Can you at least answer more of my questions? Like…these nightmares I've been having, or the symbols on that door to the basement in my house?"

"The nightmares have been purposely implanted by the one who led you to us." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, huffing under her breath. "I know it's frustrating, but believe me, everything will be revealed soon. As for the symbols, I can teach you a counter spell to unlock the door-it doesn't take much and is basic. It's important you know what's behind the door."

"Well do _you_ know what's behind it?"

"No." Jade was close to shouting out, frustrated and irritated that she wasn't getting anywhere. "Only one other person knows-"

"Let me guess. The woman watching me…"

"Yes. Also the person you've been seeking."

"Well let me know the counter, because I'm curious." Of course, she didn't know when she'd have the time to get down there. Her mother didn't like for her to get involved with witchcraft in the house, so she'd have to do this at a time that her mom wasn't looking. Of course, it was possible Morgan would be interested in whatever was behind the door as well. "I'll also try and talk to Tori…"

Beck shook his head and pushed his hands into his pocket, scowling at the ground. "I don't like this. I don't like this one bit."

* * *

hmm, what are your thoughts?


	11. Blind Denial

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 11 (Blind Denial)

Beck followed Jade into the Vega home after confirming that all the other friends arrived beforehand. She had a plan for a friendly intervention, but as always, it seemed her boyfriend was most skeptical. "How do you expect to do this?" He muttered under his breath. "Maybe Robbie will believe it given what happened with Rex-but the others?" They'd brought with them a photo of the Vega crypt, and the plaque.

They were going to try and tell them that Holly and Trina were dangerous and everyone needed to do their best to avoid the two women. "How else am I going to tell them that Mrs. Vega and Trina are actually, technically dead?" Practically everyone else in the world was certain the two women were deceased, which meant all she had to deal with were the friends-then she could deal with talking Tori into letting her free her mother and sister.

"At the same time, this means you're willing to tell them you've been practicing witchcraft?" It was a necessary evil, unfortunately. How else would people understand why Mrs. Vega and her eldest were supposed to be dead? Then when they disappeared, eyebrows would certainly be raised.

"I wonder if they've actually already killed. I know Piper said the first victim was usually the one that allowed it, but it's been eight years." Again, the two women were likely not to be the only ones, so who knows if the witch or warlock's soul quota had been filled or not.

"That seems indicative that they've not, because for what we know, Tori and Mr. Vega are still alive."

Once inside, they saw the friends scattered about the living room. Andre, Robbie, and Cat each appeared to be doing their own thing. Robbie was twiddling his thumbs and staring at the scars on his right arm. Andre was lounging on the couch and scrolling through his phone, and Cat was looking with boredom at the kitchen counter. "Hey guys." The three looked up and Cat waved happily.

"Hi Jade, hi Beck. Tori's in the bathroom." Jade sat down on the couch beside Cat. Beck sat next to her and moved an arm around her shoulders.

"That's fine, Cat. I really wanted to talk to you guys first." She pulled out her cell phone, armed with two different shots that would help the friends believe what she was about to tell them. Aside from the photo, she'd taken a video with her camera to prove further authenticity. "It's about Tori's mom and sister. I know you're not going to believe me if I say it first, so I'm going to show this to you guys."

She handed them the phone and watched as they all leaned in to view the photos and videos. Their eyes enlarged and their mouths hung open. "Wait, I don't understand this!" Andre jerked back and Robbie looked up to Jade with a small frown. Cat started to whimper and fidget. "This hasn't been tampered with, it's the cemetery, but those women are walking around right now!"

"They…died in a car crash, Andre. Back in 2005, maybe you read the newspaper article or something back then about a car slamming into an eighteen wheeler-the two occupants killed were Trina and Mrs. Vega."

"Then how are they walking around right now?" Cat hugged herself and looked over to the stairs. "I don't understand."

Robbie's voice lowered to a whisper and his left hand clenched around his right arm. "Witchcraft, isn't it." Jade turned her eyes to him and slowly nodded. "The tempter?"

"Yeah Robbie." She cleared her throat and closed her eyes. "There's a warlock out there by the name of Paul." Andre returned the phone to her, giving her a skeptical look. "He may have tempted Tori into using a soul binding spell to force her mother's and sister's spirits into their bodies, maybe leading her to believe she was 'saving' them." Her eyes opened halfway and her lips dipped into a further frown. "This is the problem; their souls, trapped, are turning malicious and murderous. From day one they're nothing like they were in life-it's how demons are made, actually."

Andre curled a finger over his chin and furrowed his brow, "So you're telling me they're dangerous?"

"Very dangerous. I'm going to try and learn how to free their spirits, but I don't know if I can."

"You're practicing witchcraft too?"

"Dabbling…I've been interested in learning, yes." She straightened her back and stared at her silent friends for a few seconds before exhaling. "I didn't want to say anything yet, but seeing this news, I know it's important." She didn't want them to avoid Tori or the Vegas. "I don't want you to be surprised if they disappear, because their spirits need to be put to rest so they can cross over."

"So some witch or whatever taught Tori to bind her mother and sister to their-uh…corpses?" Andre shifted uncomfortably and ran his hand through his dreads. Jade felt an ominous chill in the air and looked over her shoulder to see Trina sitting on the steps leading upstairs. The girl was glaring at the group with fire in her eyes and a twisted snarl.

They were getting worse. So why hadn't Trina and Holly attacked Tori or David yet? They were clearly at the murderous stage. The only way it made sense was if there was some sort of thought to not kill while in the presence of others-and someone was almost always around Tori-but then a demonic spirit doesn't care. They would kill any and all in their surroundings and send the soul to hell.

There was another possibility, and that possibility was that the bond between this family was so strong that a piece of the original soul remained to the point that the demon taking over could not attack.

Even still, it was too dangerous of an assumption to make. Eventually the darkness would be too much, and surely, the Vegas would be in grave danger. She saw Cat look to Trina, then the girl's face grew frightful. "Trina looks evil!" Cat exclaimed. Evil, just as Holly appeared the other day. The others turned back an d met Trina's stare.

"She's not evil. Trina and Mrs. Vega never were evil, it's that whatever is left of their spirit is growing dark. There's a ritual to free them, but I'm not strong enough. I'm still waiting for whomever it is that's been watching me and my family to show herself and talk to me."

"It's one of those 'when the time is right' things," Beck rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively through the air. He folded his arms over and a glint of anger sparked in his eyes. "Honestly if these witches gave a damn, why don't they just show up instead of playing these games of theirs." He had a point, as disconcerting as it was, but Jade figured it was best to be patient regardless. She felt like they would explain things soon enough.

"I think they're just trying to show me some things and get me to learn things before just pushing me right in. Mentoring from a distance perhaps?"

"Right…that's what they're doing. With any spiritual or religious thing, it's always 'let's watch from a distance', then the unthinkable happens and it's too late to help because they weren't there."

"Beck, honestly, quit worrying about things that aren't happening." She was sure to be perfectly safe, and while she understood his concern, she was growing more irritated with him by each passing day. "I think this is just something I need to see for myself-I think that's what they're' doing."

Before she'd get her Charge, she had to learn to open her mind up to whatever it was she needed to know. This was how she was looking at it. "Beck, you need to stop being so close minded. I know you're concerned about me, but I know what I'm doing."

"Do you? Because you seemed quite surprised when you walked into that crypt and realized half of the Vega family was actually dead!"

She started to argue back, but her focus was broken by Tori asking what everyone was talking about. The girl was walking down the stairs, past Trina, and making her way towards the friends. Everyone looked at Tori with some apprehension, causing the girl to shrink back nervously. "What's wrong guys?"

"Tori." Jade stood up and walked over to her friend, looking sincerely into her eyes. "We know about your mom and sister." Tori's eyebrows rose up and her lips parted. "We know they died in a car crash."

"What are you talking about, Jade?" Tori chuckled nervously and jerked her thumb over to Trina. "They're alive." Jade furrowed her brow and crossed her arms.

"2005, you met some warlock that taught you to bind souls to their body. Tori, your life is in danger because of this-everything in the universe has _consequence_. It's the karmic law!"

"She's not wrong," Robbie lifted his arm to show Tori his own scars. "This happened because I did the same thing with my brother…" Tori narrowed her eyes and took a staggering step backwards, shaking her head.

"No! You're wrong! Momma and Trina never left-"

"You're right, they never left because of that spell you did." Tori tucked her hair behind her ear and continued to protest. Jade was concerned at the perplexing denial on Tori's face. She knew better than to not expect it, but at the same time, she would have figured Tori wouldn't deny it after eight years. "You have to realize that you're really only hurting them by doing this. Their bodies are already beginning to decay-that's what that rash is…dead skin that's decaying…when their flesh goes away, their souls are going to be forever trapped to earth unless they're saved."

Tori crossed her arms and started to raise her voice, trembling it with anger. "I don't know what you're talking about, Jade. There is _nothing_ wrong with my family." It would be difficult to cut through all those years of denial which were formed due to Tori's innate fear of losing her mom and sister.

"Tori, don't you understand that it's _selfish?_ It's a selfish ritual. You can't just force a soul against its will-do no harm. Did the warlock teach you that, Tori?"

"I don't do witchcraft, Jade." Tori's eyes widened and her mouth formed an oval. "Do _you?"_ Jade's heart slammed into her chest and she threw her arm through the air.

"Yes, but that's beside the point! I'm trying to save you and your family. You have to understand the danger you're in, the danger your father is in, as well as the danger your mom and sister are in. They may be dead, but their souls-"

"I refuse to talk about this right now, Jade." Tori threw her hands into the air and turned away, much to Jade's dismay. She had to figure out a way to get through to the girl, to get her to accept that her mom and sister are gone. "You're talking crazy. Mom and Trina are_ clearly_ alive."

"I have pictures of the mausoleum."

"I don't care. Whatever prank you're trying to do-I don't care."

"There is no prank. I wouldn't prank about this!"

Tori moved quickly to the door, huffing under her breath as she threw it open. "I think it's time for all of you to go. I don't feel like poker right now." Jade frowned as the friends mumbled and made their way to the door. Tori put her hand to her waist and narrowed her eyes. "Go. I was in a good mood…"

"You haven't even heard me out yet."

"I don't care, Jade. You're saying things about my family that aren't true."

"Denial doesn't make it any less true, and you know it!" Was Tori just blind to it? Tori pressed her lips together and threw her hand out the door.

"I _saved_ them, Jade. They're alive because they were saved, they are not _dead_. Now please leave." She had no choice but to do as asked, but there was no way she was letting this go. She caught Beck's disapproving gaze and made her way out of the house.

She knew what he was going to say, that she shouldn't have meddled, but she was only looking out for the Vegas. What was so wrong with that?

Though now she had to worry about how she was going to convince Tori to see and accept the truth. Maybe her unknown mentor would finally show up and help her with this. Either way, it was going to take a lot of thinking and patience, but she was going to help the Vega family one way or another.

* * *

There's a lot of denial in there that is true, but now it is known what is expected. Next chapter, a very mysterious door will be opened-that figure can be both figurative and literal, take from it what you will.


	12. Open the Door

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 12 (Open the Door)

Arriving home, Jade found her mother's car gone. She was able to use her home key to get into the house. Stricken with a deep hunger, she made her way into the kitchen and started for the refrigerator. A strange breeze hit her and motioned her to the open kitchen window above the sink. "What the-mom never leaves the window open when she leaves…"

She reached up and pulled the window down, shaking her head and figuring her mother-despite her impeccable OCD-may have forgotten to shut the window. Leaning forward, she brushed her fingers along the edge of the counter and tapped her thumbs on the surface. She had no idea where her mom or dad might have gone, but it wasn't much of a surprise to find them gone when arriving home.

Spike was barking in the other room, but with rapid and panicked barks. "Spike, relax!" As she turned to the kitchen doorway, she saw a yellow cat with a brown tail rushing in. Spike chased the cat, stopping once the cat jumped onto the counter. Jade raised an eyebrow and reached over, gently petting the feline's back. She felt a rumble down the cat's spine, signifying a purr. Spike calmly sat down as the cat licked its paw. "Are you a stray, kitten?"

The cat must have jumped in the window, but there was no way her mom and dad would keep a cat in here for long when they had a dog. Besides, Morgan hated cats.

The kitten continued to rub against her wrist, turning around in circles. Spike mysteriously stopped barking and laid down on the ground. His chin remained on his paws and his eyelids closed down. While petting the cat, Jade's eyes trailed to a strange folder on the counter near her. It was hanging halfway off the counter and was open, revealing several greyed photos.

"What is this?" She moved to the folder and tucked the top picture between her fingers while peering down at it. The top photo was of a woman that strongly resembled her mother in 1800s style clothing. She hummed for a minute and flicked her eyes upwards. "Is mom getting into genealogy now?" The woman was wearing a white bonnet and a frilly dress. Her hair was wavier than her mothers, but the face was near identical. "What a beautiful picture…"

She curled her lip into a smile and moved the picture off to the side where she saw an older photo of another woman that resembled what her mother's ancestor may have looked like. Only this picture was more faded, like that of the early 1800s. The woman was holding a baby, had shoulder length wavy hair and a tight lipped expression on her face. There was a small speck on her chin similar to where her mother's was.

Beside this woman was a man with a thin moustache, a wavy comb-over and strong build. His eyes were dark and heavy, his face long and jaw tightly wound. Jade moved the photo to the side and saw a drawing of what appeared to be a trial.

After closer inspection, her heart began to sink-it was a news drawing of the Salem Witch Trials itself. She was troubled to think that one of her own ancestors would have been involved in them. "It can't be…" In the audience was a woman that strongly resembled that of the witch in her dreams. Her hair was long and grey, her face wrinkly and her eyes dark. She was watching over a woman standing before the judge.

Seeing the familiar face of her dreams sent a shiver through her body, causing her to stumble backwards. The cat distracted her with a meow, then hopped off the counter. She watched it run to the door leading down to the basement, her heart grew still and she contemplated what her next move would be.

Fearing her mom might return to find her messing around with magic, she didn't want to take the risk. Yet, with her mother gone, now would be the best time to unlock the door. She was torn between her fear and her curiosity, and it seemed almost like this cat wanted her to indulge that curiosity of her. "Piper and the others _want_ me to unlock this, right?" She carefully removed a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and opened it up, gazing down with nervous eyes.

The counter was a simple chant, though she was going to have to paint a new symbol over the one that apparently bound the door. It was difficult for her to comprehend that she was so close to discovering what, for years, was a fun mystery. "Okay. I don't know if I'm ready for this…"

She took a deep breath and grabbed a marker from nearby. With each step she took to the door, her chest tightened and her fears began to grow. It was getting to the point she wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to know the answers behind the mysterious door. "Mom wouldn't want me messing with this. It's been here since before we lived here, right?"

This house was over a century old, her mom and dad moved here well before she was born. So whomever it was that sealed the door might not want it to still be sealed the way it was. At this point, Jade knew she was just grasping for straws, wanting the mystery to remain a mystery. Wasn't that the point of great mysteries? That they remain legend as the truth behind them often took away from the impact of the tale?

Her eyes fell to the cat, who was now scratching at the door. What was this animal trying to do? Why was she even questioning it? Jade closed her eyes and shook her head. "If I don't do this now, I might not get another chance…" She uncapped the Sharpie and walked up to the door.

Her chest expanded and the air seemed to grow dense around her as she drew a large circular symbol over the door. Stepping back, she could feel the air strangling her and stirring up her fraying nerves. Sweat trickled along her neck, and her trembling hand moved gently against the door.

The chant was uttered from her lips as her eyelids closed and her nostrils flared open. She thought she felt a gust of wind strike her when she finished the chant. Light flooded the outside of her vision, pulling her eyelids open as she heard a creaking sound.

Anxious, Jade moved a heavy palm onto the knob and gently pushed the door open. The light from the kitchen pierced through, sending a burst of light into the basement. Still not satisfied with the light, she felt around for a switch, finally finding one after several minutes.

When she turned the basement light on, she was met with a startling sight. Her eyes widened and her heart stopped beating for a second as her eyes flew along the seventeen statues that stood against the walls of the basement. Nine men, all approximately fifty to sixty in age-and all with dull expressions or looks of terror. Adjacent were eight people of varying age. four men and four women, each with only a monotonous look in their eyes and flat expressions.

Not every statue was dressed the same either, some had very old style clothing, as well as hairstyles that gave away the time they were from. Struck by this sudden bout of terror and confusion, Jade glanced over her shoulder with a shudder, concerned now about who lived here before her mother.

Was this home a family home? Did it have anything to do with the witch in her dreams? Then again, could it be as macabre as she was fearing? Certainly she was jumping to conclusions-perhaps the prior tenant was simply a collector of unique statues.

If that were true, however, why didn't they take them whenever they moved out? Not to mention, the one thing that defeated that as a plausible theory was that of the very man she saw in the black-and-white photograph. "Okay. I'm seeing things." She moved her hand to her chest and took a deep breath. "Imagining things."

She looked around for the cat, but it was gone as though it was never there. Her mind was spinning as she tried to contemplate what about this room the coven witches wanted her to know, but yet, the answer seemed obvious. This wasn't just about a prior tenant, but the true answer, she did not want to hear. Rather, she wanted to be as stuck in denial as Tori was in regards to her own family.

What she didn't understand was what her mother was doing with these statues, who they were-assuming they were real people-and why they were hidden back here. "No. Not my mom. She may be crazy, she may be abusive-there's a difference between a witch and a _bitch_…" She stammered while staring into the eyes of each statue.

They seemed to be beckoning her, as though pleading with her for release. Were there souls trapped inside these statues? No, that was impossible. Besides, Morgan hated magic-she hated witchcraft and everything about it.

"Mom can't stand witchcraft-she wouldn't be involved in this stuff. I should tell her what I found-since this could be from a previous tenant…" As she turned around, her focus wasn't on where she was going. She felt a violent shove and caught herself as she nearly fell backwards.

Her eyes flew in front of her and she saw Morgan glaring at her with a violent sneer and fire in her eyes. "This is why I didn't want you to practice-because you'd discover the truth before your time." Jade froze as panic shot through her. Every sensation inside her was telling her to run, but as her eyes remained glued to her mother's, she felt her body fall under a strange paralysis. "Just a few more days, that's all that was needed."

"Mom?" She struggled to get her voice out. Courage melted into fear, and every truth she thought existed seemed to evaporate. "W-Who are these people?"

"People?" Morgan looked towards the statues and a deep sadness overcame her. "Nobody. They are only statues."

"Then why are they hidden down here? You _knew_ they were here? You put the seal on the door? What else aren't you telling me?"

Morgan exhaled softly and closed her eyes. "I won't lose another." Jade's eyes widened as her mother began speaking a Latin chant she didn't understand. Morgan's arms stretched out to her sides and her head titled up towards the sky. "Continere. Dominatio…"

"M-Mom?" Her body started to grow numb and a great fog was beginning to form in her mind. "W-What's going on? I don't understand, what are you doing? Why don't you answer my questions?" Tears dripped from her eyes as Morgan relaxed.

"There's nothing you need to worry about, Jade. It will all be clear to you soon, I promise. You love witchcraft so much, I'll teach you all you need to know…"

"Oh mother dear," A voice echoed from behind, causing Morgan to twist around in unbridled fury and confusion. Jade looked past her and stopped her gaze on a woman with long blonde hair and brown tips. She wore a purple spaghetti strap top with a lace collar, and dark jeans. In her hand was the sleeping, Spike.

"Y-You!" Jade cried, "You're the woman my friends saw. You've been following me, I-"

"Not now."

"How do you know my mom?"

The woman narrowed her eyes and smirked as Morgan began to growl. "I'm the one that got away. But first…" As Morgan moved her arms towards the woman, the woman let out a dangerous shout. "Inalgesco!" A gust of wind shot out and Morgan froze in place, her eyes wide and her mouth open in an angry scream.

"What did you just do?!"

"You had to see for yourself. Now come on, we don't have long before she breaks free." The woman exhaled, suddenly exhausted. "Let's take old Pauly here and get out…" She raised an eyebrow and moved carefully past her frozen mother. She was stunned and still trying to process what was going on.

Was she in danger?

"Wait-what?"

The woman flipped her hair over her shoulders, pointed to the dog, then motioned for her to follow. "I'll explain once we get somewhere safe. I need to eat." Jade whined at her mom's figure and started to reach out, but the woman smacked away her hand. "Don't touch her! Let's go! I need time to get my energy up after that, then a cloaking spell…"

"Right. Sorry!" She turned away, bewildered, and followed the elder woman out with haste.

* * *

Definitely brings up some more questions


	13. Processing the Answers

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 13 (Processing the Answers)

"Pretty sure she had a heart a long time ago." aJde listened to the woman speak while also watching her engulf an extremely large steak. Hidden under the table was Spike, still under some sort of sleeping spell. The girl wiped her mouth with a napkin and leaned back, sighing heavily. "Okay. First thing you need to know, my name is Sabrina."

"Okay. Sabrina…so how do you know my mom?" Sabrina cleared her throat and grabbed her glass of water. "Also, slow down on the food, I guess?"

"Sorry. It's the karmic law of the universe-even with good intentions, using magic on another will affect you. I have to build up my energy and strength again." Sabrina sipped on her water for a few seconds, then set the drink back onto the table. "As for how I know your mother, she was mine as well." Jade leaned back and opened her mouth, wanting to protest, but deciding against.

"She would have had to be fairly young, you're already like thirty."

"Thirty-three, I was born in 1980. My father and his family practice witchcraft, which was something Morgan neglected to remember-but it is the reason she didn't want you practicing. Knowledge truly is power." Jade tilted her head to the side and gazed down at the small salmon meal before her. "I sparked the dreams that you've been having, for one." Her heart pulsated and she threw her head up, frowning at the woman across the table that claimed now to be her sister. "I knew if you began to learn, to practice, you might discover the truth for yourself-and that is the only and best way that you would believe me when I tell you that you _and_ your father are in danger." Sabrina looked down at the floor, her eyebrows lifting up an inch. "Oh, and the 'dog' too."

"Spike?" Her voice caught in her throat for a moment. She shook her head and clenched her eyes, still trying to process everything. "Dad's in danger? I don't understand." Right now, she would believe almost anything Sabrina said, but there was still a part of her that wanted to doubt and remain in the dark. "How am I in danger? Hell-how is my dog in danger?"

"Because 'Spike' is not just your dog." Sabrina reached down and picked up the small dog, then set him on the booth beside her. "Transmutare."

In what appeared to be a great flash, the dog changed before her eyes into a much older man. The man, still sleeping, was now leaning against the wall. His hair was completely gone, he had a wrinkled forehead and narrow face. For as old as the man was, he matched the description Robbie had given her.

Jade threw her hand over her mouth, covering a startled gasp while Sabrina forked her meal. "T-That's the warlock. Paul. The man that's been doing the soul binding." Sabrina glanced over and closed her eyes, humming confidently.

"Yes. He is also our brother." Her heart sank further and a soft groan left her throat. How could this man, who was older than her parents, be their brother? She knew the answer, but she didn't want to say it-because simply hearing it would confirm her darkest fears. "Eat up, your food's going to get cold."

"It's very hard for me to want to eat right now…no offense…"

"I understand, but you should try." Jade nodded and picked up her silverware. As she sliced into the salmon, her eyes drifted to the old man sleeping soundly. Was he a familiar? In other words, an animal assigned to a witch. No, because if he was their brother, then that would mean he was Morgan's son. If he were Morgan's son, then Morgan was much older than she appeared. Sabrina caught her stare and leaned upright. "What's on your mind, Jade?"

"A million things-like how mom has a seventy year old son."

"I was supposed to replace him." Jade's eyebrows curled together and her lips locked tight. "You would have replaced me-though you would have likely been much younger. As for Paul here, I have him still under a sleeping spell because until I free his mind, he has absolutely no free will."

"What?"

"He is under Morgan's control, to do her bidding." Jade trembled with fear as she continued to study Paul. "Those bound spirits? Morgan transforms him to his true human form so he can find people who have recently passed and teach a naïve or simple-minded survivor to bind the soul to the body, making them believe they're 'saving' the dead." Jade rolled her eyes and leaned up against the wall. This explained why Tori was acting the way she was in regards to the fact that her family was dead-save her father. "Eventually, the dead will start to kill. All spirits of those killed are sent to Morgan herself, via a hex that she forces Paul to put on the fresh dead-which the survivor, if present, thinks is just a part of the ritual. She then devours the murdered soul, which lowers her age. There is a set amount of spirits she needs to devour each time, since her age tends to vary, but always she seems to go back to thirty."

"So, if what you're saying is true, then that means Paul isn't…"

"He's not a bad person, he has no control whatsoever over what he is doing. He likely can see what he's doing, but that's just it, it's a spell Morgan put over him. Which, of course, brings me to my next point."

Jade looked over to the doors of the restaurant, fearing whether Morgan would come inside or not. The cloaking spell Sabrina put up concealed the establishment, so she had no reason to fear, yet she could not help herself. "How old is Mom, then?" All the statues in the basement served only a reminder of the dark evil that she never knew existed in her home. "She was abusive, always angry, but…I never thought for a minute that she-"

"Morgan is four hundred years old." She coughed violently and grabbed her drink, gulping it down as she processed her mother's apparent age. "She is also the witch that killed the infamous Sanders Sisters, by the way-if you're interested in them."

"Oh my god…"

"The seventeen statues you saw in there? Well there are two more that should be present-but they don't apply. Her first husband, William Davison, and daughter Lucia. The one that died in the Salem Witch Trials. Our mother was first born in October of 1610. Her first, and perhaps last love was William-they grew up together and even came over here with the Puritans together. When he died in 1661, she was devastated. Her daughter, Lucia was the one to suggest ways to bring him back, but the further Morgan plunged into darkness, the more she forgot her humanity. She discovered a way to become young again, but let her daughter go to the gallows for her during the Salem Witch Trials-sadly-her daughter's death activated a hex she'd placed."

"A what?"

"Everyone executed for 'being a witch' was sent to her as a spirit for her to devour." Jade's hand flew to her chest and the wind shot out of her. She tried to gasp in, or at least to scream out, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"That's terrible!" She knew there was truth to it too, in her studies of the Salem Witch Trials, she saw one of the victims was a woman by the name of Lucia. Morgan used her daughter. "W-What happened after that?"

"It took some time for her to devour the souls and get young again-because by the time 1692 rolled around, she was very old. She had long silver hair, wrinkled cheeks-basically looked like your average stereotypical old witch."

"The witch in my dreams? That's mom?!"

"Yes. Also, the man in that photograph-which by the way, I placed that folder on the counter-" She'd already figured that, just as she figured Sabrina was the mysterious 'stray' cat. "-That man was Lucas Cornwall, the baby was their son, Marcus. If I can move on, I'd like to explain those statues in the basement."

"Okay."

"The statues of the men that are all the same age are of her husbands after William. The only husbands that aren't there are my father, and Henry." Jade dropped her fork onto the plate, whimpering with terror as she contemplated her father winding up there. "The ones that have varying ages are the children that were put under her control as of the age of eighteen."

"Eighteen? But-but I'm almost-"

"Exactly. Now you see why I wanted you to learn." She looked over to Paul, furrowing her brow at the elder man. None of the statues were nearly as old as he was. Then again, she recalled Sabrina being 'the one that got away', which might also have meant Paul wouldn't have been turned to stone if Morgan still had need for him.

"Morgan needed someone else performing those soul binding spells, didn't she? Someone that wouldn't ask questions…and a way that they wouldn't trace back to her…"

"_Now_ you're getting it. Of twelve siblings altogether, we three are the only children left of Morgan's-and probably the only ones that can stop her. The thing with the children-when they hit their eighteenth birthday-Morgan wipes their memory and turns them almost into a puppet to follow her own will and bidding. For years they perform soul binding techniques so these spirits will kill and send murdered ghosts to Morgan to devour and grow young again. Also when the child turns eighteen is when the hex she placed over the husband upon meeting wears off and they start to see her for what she really is…she turns them to stone."

"Dad! We have to save him!"

"Yeah, and we will." Sabrina closed her eyes and leaned back, sighing heavily. "There's also the fact that when Morgan returns to the age of 30, she finds another man-places a spell on them to make them see only her. They stay with her, give her another child and when that child turns eighteen-both the husband, and the prior child, are turned to stone. The last child bearing no further use because the new one replaces them. So you see how I would have replaced Paul…and you, me…"

"Yeah, I get it, but how did you get away? Why is Paul still here? How do you know so much!"

Sabrina smiled softly and set her silverware down beside her plate. "Because for the first time-Mom met someone whose family was already deeply involved in witchcraft. Aunt Hilda, Aunt Zelda, my grandparents and even my father…It didn't take them long to figure something wasn't right with the way dad was acting after meeting Morgan. I think I was about eleven when they crafted a spell to look into Morgan's life-and that's where they learned all the history about her."

"You can do that? Looking into someone's past like that?"

"Witchcraft opens the doors to a lot of things, as you'll find. So yes, when they did that, they figured out what her plan was. They couldn't stop her at the time, but they broke my father free of her influence, then rescued me. They taught me everything I needed to know about witchcraft-but I had a personal vendetta-I knew Morgan wasn't finished. I wanted to find her, to find her next victims…She devoured the souls she got Paul to round up, grew young and met _your_ father. We found you only a few years ago and were watching, waiting until you grew close to eighteen-I wasn't going to let my little sister be turned into a mindless slave."

"Thanks for that…I guess." So now the question was what were they going to do? Morgan was still out there, and likely she'd try and find them. Trina and Holly were still trapped spirits, all of the souls of Morgan's prior husbands and children were still immortalized in stone. "What are we going to do now?"

"There's a lot we have to do, but first, I'm going to teach you everything I can about the craft. You need to grow stronger." Sabrina looked over to Paul and started to frown. "Also, he's going to help us. We need his help-the rule of three does apply. I'll have to free his mental binding. We'll stop Morgan, we'll release all the souls she's ever touched."

"I'll do anything it takes." She knew there wasn't any choice, she had to help put a stop to Morgan's evil. Whether or not the woman ever had a heart, which it sounded like she did back in 1600, she was too darkened and corrupt now. She would only further continue, as Jade herself was proof that even when one was rescued from her-she just kept going. "There's not going to be another one of us, we'll stop her…Save the Vegas, save the statues, and keep anyone from becoming a future target of hers."

"Right, but first, you need to finish your food."

"Oh…Sorry."

* * *

So we know some further details Now, I should go watch Hocus Pocus like I do every year around this time. A bit of an anniversary, haha


	14. The Third Sibling Awakens

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 14 (The Third Sibling Awakens)

Jade followed Sabrina, who was carrying Paul in his dog form, to the location of the other witches she'd met. "Where am I supposed to go if I can't go back home?" She looked over her shoulder, pondering if her mother was there or not. Her eyes drifted to the still sleeping dog. It was probably not possible to move her father out of the house, so that was the reason Sabrina couldn't get Henry-but at the same time, her sister apparently just went for who she could get out at the time.

"I have a couple extra rooms at my house, I will let you stay there until it is safe. Your father will also be safe as soon as we can get to him." As they made it through the woods to the open clearing, Jade relaxed her nerves.

She saw all the witches and the cat, Salem, waiting patiently around the circle. Salem stretched his back, pushing his hips up into the air. "Sabrina! You brought a _dog_ along?" Salem hopped off the log and ran over to Sabrina's feet. Jade stared down at him with a start, shocked to hear him talk. "How could you! I thought you were a cat person. Oh the betrayal. Oh my achy-breaky heart!"

Jade's eyebrows lifted up as Sabrina rolled her eyes and continued to walk-seemingly not noticing Salem. Then again, the woman was also used to him. "It's not just a dog." She set the dog down in the center of the circle, set her hand on its shoulder, and spoke the same word from the restaurant that made him transform. The others watched in amazement. "He's my older brother-I thought I made clear that my older brother and younger sister were both in that house?" Sabrina moved her hands to her hips and looked down to Paul. "I've put him under a sleeping spell for the time being, because we have to remove the curse Morgan placed on him."

"Sounds like you need a true awakening spell," Camryn remarked studiously. She moved her hand to Paul's forehead and closed her eyes. "There is a mental lock on him."

"I know that much, it's some sort of free will elimination. A slave curse. We need to break it and get him back to us. I think he also can answer some questions we may have in regards to the soul trapping."

"I have a question," Zelda rubbed her chin and raised an eyebrow, "Aside from feeling a sibling connection, why did you take him from the house as well?"

Jade was curious about it as well, it seemed Sabrina didn't _have_ to, but she did anyway. Sabrina folded her arms and exhaled. "When you rescued me, you only pulled me out-so Morgan still had Paul and was able to retain him for many more years. Without him, and without Jade, Morgan doesn't have any other children to force to her will. The only reason she uses her children is because they already have that connection to their mother to want to see some good in her or to want to help her in some way-so there's not as much fighting when she readies that curse-though I doubt they even realize what she's doing until she's already done it and it's too late."

Jade sat down on a nearby rock and continued to gaze at her apparent elder half-brother. Her lips curved into a tiny smile and her eyelids slid shut. It felt nice to apparently have siblings, though she wished the circumstances could have been different. For instance, not having a mother bent on self-preservation. "I wish we could give him his years back," Jade whispered.

The cat's ears perked up and he looked over and shook his head. "Unfortunately no. Witchcraft isn't a miracle act. The only way to do anything in that manner would be to perform dark magic-as your mother does." Jade frowned and slowly nodded, understanding the dilemma.

"Still…knowing all his years were wasted."

"It's a shame, but maybe in his last few years he'll be able to be free." Salem hopped up beside her and laid down, hanging his paws over her leg. "Besides, he's got two little sisters, everyone loves finding out they have siblings."

"I didn't think familiars talked, Salem."

"Most don't. I'm a 'special' case." Salem lifted his furry grey head and glanced too Hilda. "See that lady there?" Jade hummed to herself and studied Hilda closely. "She's a very good woman, but everyone has their blemishes. She's a former dark practicioner-she's been alive for a long time just as your mother, but not through the same way. She had more 'holistic' methods, never says much about it, but she did practice at one time. She doesn't anymore."

"Oh…" It was a bit nerve wracking now that she thought of it. Was dark magic so tempting? It had to be. "Everything has consequence, so I'm guessing-" It did seem like Hilda was much older than Zelda. Her hair was scragglier and greyer, her face was becoming more wrinkled than Zelda's was, and her eyes were tired and heavy. "Her real age could be starting to show?"

"Yes. She found a way to do that thing you suggested, but it was years ago and it ended catastrophically for many. She got what she wanted, but now her age is really beginning to go-along with her memory. The key thing is: don't practice dark magic and bad things won't happen to you."

"Bad things haven't happened to mom…"

Sabrina's eyes flickered over to Jade and her lips grew thin, "I wouldn't say that." She looked up to her sister with some confusion. Her mother was still young looking, she still had remarkable skill which was likely built up over the years of playing the piano. What issues did Morgan have? "For so many years of all that dark magic, it's eroded her soul and her heart."

Sabrina carried a bowl of hot water over to her and asked her to extend her hands. Jade did so and cradled the bowl, watching as steam rose up. Sabrina spoke a chant and Jade began to see an image in the steam.

It was of a young girl with short sandy-blonde hair skipping along an open field. She wore colonial era clothing and was in the company of an older couple. "Who are they?"

"Philip and Elizabeth Andrews, her parents. As a girl, she had every innocence and glow of a cheerful child." The image began to age, Morgan's hair grew longer and with a dirtier blonde style. She was a teenager by this point, walking arm and arm with a teenage boy. They were beside a lake, and Morgan was gazing dreamily into his eyes. "Her first love, William."

Jade could feel her heart breaking as her mind searched for any reason behind Morgan's change, but she feared it was coming soon. "What happened?"

"Elizabeth and Phillip both fell ill with what we know now as tuberculosis and died when she was eighteen. At that point, she stayed with William, had her first child several years later…William would soon fall to the same tragic fate as her parents had."

The image began to shift to show an older Morgan with darker brown hair studying through spell books while her daughter looked on with great concern. She was trying to revive William, trying to revive her parents, but there was nothing that enabled her to do so.

Then, in 1692, all her witchcraft books had been found by the colonists. They fingered her daughter, however. Knowing it was the end, and for as old as she became, she wanted to be happy again. She wanted a second chance. Jade felt a tremendous wave of sorrow hit her as she watched the elder image of her mother standing before the gallows where 'witches' of Salem would be hung.

There were tears in Morgan's eyes, indicative that she knew exactly what she was doing. She uttered a spell, a curse, which would make her young again. Jade's eyes were wet with tears and she wanted to turn away, but found herself unable to do so.

"The minute she tried that spell, a dark spot was put on her heart. Greed was too much for her, and she would do it again. Only this time it was her second child that would become her first victim."

Her eyes narrowed as she watched her mother put a slave curse on Bridget at eighteen years of age. The father, now aware of what was going on, began to protest and was promptly turned to stone. In order to feel less guilt, she had Bridget go out and place hexes on the dead and to bind their souls to their bodies before they were able to cross. This left them to grow dark, to kill, and whoever died indeed went to Morgan-who was quick to absorb them into her body and grow young once more.

As time went on, Morgan grew more and more virulent. The purity and innocence the woman once had was gone-completely destroyed by the greed and dark desires that Morgan had.

"I-I can't believe…" Sabrina took away the bowl and Jade quickly wiped her eyes. "It all started because she just wanted another chance to do things over in life."

"Then it turned into just wanting to stay alive. Believe me, I was just as shocked-you'd have to realize Aunt Zelda and Aunt Hilda were the first to get that look into Morgan's life. It was the first thing I saw-I didn't see the statues first, nor did I see a bound spirit first. I discovered those after the fact, after I learned enough about witchcraft and spells…"

"But you wanted me to see it all myself?"

"You had to. Otherwise you wouldn't have believed us. No matter how abusive or angry your mother is, no one wants to think their mother could be that immoral."

Piper stood up from the bench she'd been sitting on, and dusted off her pants. "That's just the easy part. The hard part is freeing your friend's family, while also putting a stop to Morgan's plans. With Holly and Katrina-and who knows how many-turning into malevolent spirits, demons, it doesn't matter if you or Paul are with her or not."

"What do you mean?"

"Anyone that dies by their hand, their soul still gets sent to Morgan, so she can still become younger and start over with someone else."

"But Dad-"

"Will still be turned to stone if we don't stop her." A whimper left Jade's lips and she clenched her eyes, fearful most of losing her father. She didn't want to imagine it, and the last thing she wanted was to see it happen. What was a first priority though? Saving the Vegas, saving her father, stopping Morgan?

"Beck was right, I didn't know what I was getting into. But now I don't have a choice…"

"You do," Sabrina informed her, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

"I'm not going to do that though. I know it's too important that I learn all this stuff and I actually help. I just…" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "It's a lot to take in."

"I know. Once we wake Paul up, we can do some mediation, get some rest and talk." Sabrina walked over to Paul's sleeping form and drew out a slow exhale. "We just need total concentration. Jade, you just watch…We know what to do from here."

"Okay."

With that, Sabrina's aunts, the twins, and Piper all moved in close to Paul, forming a circle around him. Salem remained perched beside Jade, now sitting erect and watching the circle.

Jade's brow furrowed as she listened to the chant the women were saying. It took a few minutes, and Jade was still heavily intrigued. When they stopped talking, they stood in wait, asking the goddess to grant Paul an unchained will.

She was astonished when he began to sit up and shake his head. "Cat. Where is that dang cat?" His voice was deep and raspy. Jade grinned as Sabrina spread her arms out to the side, shrugging. Paul scratched his head and moaned softly. "I've been too long as a dog. If I see another as long as I-wait…" He blinked a couple of times, looked around with widening eyes, and started to tense. "I'm free? Where's Morgan?"

"Mother will not harm you any longer," Sabrina crouched beside Paul and looked into his eyes. "Do you know the things you've done?" Jade stood to her feet and Paul bowed his head. He began to tremble and his heavy hand moved over his eyes.

"Oh god…"

"It wasn't your fault," Jade said abruptly. Sabrina looked over her shoulder, smiling lightly as Paul's head shot up. His aged eyes were wet with tears that ran along his stubbly cheeks. "She's still got Dad, and I need to get Tori to accept her sister and mom passed. If you want to separate from mom, then help us."

"The things she made me do…the innocent lives I-the years I've wasted." Paul looked to his wrinkled hands and tensed. "Where's my own father? He wasn't-she didn't-"

"When I was in the basement, I saw a statue of a man dressed as though he were from the 1950s." Paul looked up with a curious gaze. His eyebrows meshed together as Jade folded her arms across her chest. "He had curly hair, deep set eyes resting behind thick glasses-the only one wearing glasses that thick. He also wore what looked like a plaid checkered vest. Not very tall, and one of the only ones with no facial hair."

At some point of time Paul recognized the description and began to break down. He covered his mouth with his hand and started to weep. Sabrina placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and Jade moved towards him. Her heart broke to see such a sight, but she understood where he was coming from.

Years of being forced to hurt innocent lives against your will, knowing your father is trapped in stone-it can't be easy on the mind. She wasn't sure whether her dad was even alive now, at this point. Sabrina's dad was lucky enough to be rescued.

"You need your rest," Sabrina hugged him and gave him a gentle pat on the back, "But you're safe now. I've got much to teach you and Jade"

"I don't want anything to do with witchcraft!" Paul declared with an angry sorrow. "It destroyed me…"

"I understand how you feel, but we need your help." Paul looked into Sabrina's eyes. She was relaxed but confident and firm. "When we're done, you do not need to practice if you don't wish to. We need to stop Morgan from doing this to anyone else."

"Right…if it's to stop her, I'll learn, I just…I need time."

"We don't have much time, but I will give you some to rest." Sabrina breathed in slowly and looked over to Jade. "Jade, would you go check on your friends? Try to talk to Tori again. Alex and Camryn will go with you in case Morgan tries to locate you."

She looked to the twins with a smile and nodded, feeling secure. She glanced back to the still heavily distraught man beside Sabrina. "Wouldn't it be best to take Paul there to talk to her?"

"It would, but right now he does need his rest, and I need to explain everything to him. Not to mention, it may be off-putting to show up with him right now, your friend might be less inclined to see anything that way."

"Okay." She had no problem with understanding the necessity, though she knew it would be much easier if they took Paul to explain things to Tori. Yet, she was afraid even that, Tori would try and deny. Still, it was worth everything to try.

* * *

Definitely on high alert.


	15. Importance of Family Time

Forbidden Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own victorious

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 15 (Family Time)

Walking in the dead of silence was nerve wracking for Jade, she had Alex and Camryn right behind her like bodyguards-and despite their dainty appearance, they were just as intimidating. Perhaps it was because she knew they were more than just what they appeared to be. "So you two, have you faced anyone that practices dark magic?"

"Yes," Alex answered, "Thantos, an extremely powerful dark warlock. It took a lot of our energy but we stopped him." She was glad to hear it. On some part, she wished magic _could_ be like that Wizards on Waverly Place television show, but it was as Salem said, that was impossible and unrealistic. It was more like the show, _Supernatural._

She was beginning to regret looking into witchcraft, but it wouldn't have mattered. If she never looked, never studied, she wouldn't have realized what Morgan was up to-and would have become her latest slave.

"Jade, are you sure calling your friends was the best idea?"

"It's only Beck, and yes, he deserves to know what's going on." Even if he didn't like it, he had to know what Morgan was up to. That way, he wouldn't become a victim of hers. It was a fear of hers that her mom might use Beck to lure her back in. "I just know he's not going to like it because he's the type that cannot stand any kind of spiritual stuff. His mom always forces religion down his throat, so he's anti-religious and anti-spiritual." It was a curious thing, since he clearly believed in a god, but that was just the extent of it.

The twins exchanged a frown and Jade shook her head. "I don't force anything on him, or I try not to anyway. He's also accepting that I'm doing this on my own and because I want to, so he doesn't try and hinder progress."

"Sounds good to me. I can see how it could potentially create a block between you two down the line, though." Jade furrowed her brow and shrugged. It didn't worry her that she and Beck differed in spiritual views, but she never thought it could create friction-it hadn't yet. They both respected the other person and their views, so it was a mutual thing.

"Well we respect the other's view on spirituality and religions, so we haven't really fought about any of it yet…He doesn't like me to keep things from him though, especially not something this serious."

"Understandable. Piper told us he was very concerned and protective."

Camryn's eyebrow rose up and she folded her arms, "That protectiveness can be misplaced though. He should be careful." Jade glanced over her shoulder and pulled her lips back into a frown as the woman closed her eyes. "He would rather you not get involved with witchcraft-yes I can understand the concern-but ignorance would have ultimately been more dangerous for you."

"I suppose so."

As they neared the Vega home, she saw Beck pulling up in his car. He parked alongside the curb and hurried out, looking anxiously at Jade. "Finally," he breathed, "I was looking for you. I went by your house-your mom said you ran off." Her heart dropped as he stepped up beside her and moved his hands to her arms, looking into her eyes. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine Beck, but you need to stay away from my mom." He leaned his head back and arched up a skeptical eyebrow. "I have something to tell you, but I need you to just listen before you say anything…"

"Okay."

"You might not believe me-"

"Really? You're leading with that?" His voice fell flat and his head motioned to the Vega house. "After the whole 'Holly and Trina are dead' thing, you think I'm not going to believe you?" She shot a glare at him and he bowed his head. "Sorry."

"Well, for starters…" She took a deep, shuddering breath and walked over to his car, leaning back against the hood. Her hands slid along the edge of the frame and her eyebrows slowly meshed together with worry. "My mom's a centuries old practitioner of dark magic." He coughed in response, staring as though he had no thought of what to say. "You were right that I didn't know what situation I was getting involved in, but it was for my own safety."

"Okay…"

"My mother has been using her kids as slaves to put bindings on the freshly dead-like Holly and Trina-so they'll become almost zombielike and kill, sending murdered souls to mom for consumption. When she is through with the child, she turns them to stone along with the father-then starts again with a new husband."

Beck rubbed the back of his hair, bemoaning over the news. "Jesus." His muscles grew tense and his eyelids slid down. "If I didn't already know some of the shit going on, I'd think you were crazy."

"I know that's how it sounds, but it's true. I would have become another slave to mom on my eighteenth birthday." The man's eyes grew large and Jade stiffened while thinking of herself doing her mother's biddings. "I got out because…the last child was rescued from her by the father's family. Sabrina-she's that woman that's been following me around. My sister. Also Paul-he's the warlock that's been stuck as Morgan's slave for all these years because Sabrina escaped."

"So let me get this straight." He lifted his hands and cleared away his throat. "Your mother is evil, you have two siblings that are still alive, you and your father are at risk? I assume because you say she turns the husbands to stone?"

"Yes."

"And how did you get away?"

"Sabrina came and got me out. We have to stop her, Beck." Reading his face and seeing the sunken facial features as well as the brooding line sweeping along his forehead, she knew he didn't want her to try and stop her mother. "I know you're concerned, but trust me, I'm safe now. I don't want you getting put into danger though-so stay away from mom-I don't know what I'd do if she got her hands on you."

"Why would she even bother with me?"

"She _knows_ you're my boyfriend, Beck."

"That is true." Jade reached out and wrapped her arms around him, smiling when she felt his strong arms embrace her. "I just want you to stay safe. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you, Jade. I'm hardly worried about myself. If your mom's gone down the psycho path, then maybe you should just tell someone-though that's probably not a possibility here."

"Yeah sure, let's just tell the police my mom's a four hundred year old witch that practices dark magic and uses the souls of the dead to stay young." Granted Mr. Vega may be _tempted_ to believe that, but his case was a special one. She turned her attention to Alex and Camryn and motioned to them. "These are my sister's friends."

"Sabrina, right?"

"Yes. She leads a coven." She felt Beck's chest sink with an exhale, but ignored it. "Her two aunts are with her, and of course you've met Piper at the cemetery." He shuddered at the memory and Jade grinned. She figured he was recalling the argument he had with Piper, which _now_ seemed more amusing than it was when it was going on. "The twins here are Alex and Camryn, they fought a powerful dark warlock."

"Why did you bring them to Tori's place?"

"Well they're really here to protect us if mom should happen this way." The women confirmed this fact, then let Jade guide Beck off to the door. She was anxious to see what Tori would say to her when she brought up her sister and mom, or if the girl would even be willing to listen to her now when she hadn't earlier. "Trina and Holly are also in danger-when their purposes are served and their bodies rot, they'll be trapped to the earth. Anyone they come into contact until then will die. We need to get Tori to see this and agree to let us release them."

"You sound like you're wavering a little bit-is there a problem with all that?"

Jade moved her hand to the doorknob and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I don't know how to free a trapped soul from a living person."

"Oh…" Beck's face and voice turned grim. He shook his head and looked back to the twins. "Maybe your sister or your friends will be able to teach you how to do all of that."

"Yeah. That's the plan." Jade pushed open the door and saw Tori sitting on the couch with her father-a surprising sight. It sounded as though the two were trying to reconcile. Tori's face was wet with tears and David's was stern, but compassionate. The two looked up at Jade and Tori wiped her face before glaring.

"I'm still angry with you, Jade. I don't want to talk."

Jade flung her hair over her shoulder and walked inside. "I haven't even said anything yet."

"Well I'm not in the mood. Dad's trying to abandon mom and Trina!"

"That's not what I said," David remarked. Tori rose up with an angry huff and made her way up the stairs. Jade groaned as David brushed his hand through his hair. "I only said Tori and I should take a trip to grandma's."

"It's not safe to leave Trina and Holly here alone either," Alex brushed past Jade and crossed her arms. The father raised an eyebrow at her and drew out a heavy sigh. "Your daughter was tempted to bind their souls to their bodies when they were freshly dead. Their bodies and spirits are rotting away-they will kill-and anyone they kill will be sent to a powerful witch who will absorb their spirit."

"I think I've gathered that from Jade and Piper already…" He buried his face into his hands and groaned loudly. "I've put both Holly and Trina in the basement-Tori doesn't know yet. I…I tried to…I tried to put them down but I couldn't."

"What?" Jade's eyes widened and her heart began to sink. No man should ever have to be put in the situation where he needed to try and put down his own family. David leaned back and shook his head, his body was trembling with sorrow.

"Holly was standing over the stove and I-I aimed my gun at her-but she's still my wife. Dead or not, Holly is still my wife and Trina is my daughter-I could _never_ even think of hurting them. I can't do it."

"You shouldn't have to," Jade answered, "My siblings are going to teach me some more about witchcraft. We'll be able to free them so they can cross over. Okay, Mr. Vega?" David closed his eyes and slowly nodded. It was good they had his understanding and approval, but the one they _needed_ to get approval from was Tori. "Unfortunately we need Tori's permission because she was the one that performed that spell."

"Tori believes her mom and sister to be well alive, Jade."

"I know-we need to accept them as gone. You're her dad, talk to her." Jade sat down beside David and looked up to the clock above the fireplace beside the television. "The thing is, a girl needs her father. Tori needs you, and you both should be able to talk about how you feel. Maybe you can get her to come to terms somehow."

"I can try, but she's adamant." He slouched and slowly shook his head. "You're right though, I haven't been the best dad I could be for her. I just…I don't know.'

"It's okay to be confused and concerned. As for Holly and Trina-you put them in the basement?"

"They're looking less and less like themselves every day. After hearing what that woman at the cemetery said, I'm growing paranoid-I don't-can't lose my only living child. If those things turn murderous-I'd rather them kill me first. I'm trying to convince Tori that it'd be safer for her elsewhere, but she won't go anywhere if they aren't with us."

There had to be a way to get through to her, but the question was-how? It was possible to maybe bait someone, but she didn't want to throw anyone in danger just to get Tori to see that these were not her mother and sister. "I'll talk some sense into her somehow, but I don't know anything about Trina or Holly. I guess you can say we never truly met them-"

"You were watching that home movie. You remember…They have never been that same way. From the day they came back after death, they've had different personalities altogether."

Jade let the video play in her mind, then snapped her fingers as an idea struck her. "Maybe that's it! Maybe you just need to sit her down with a few of those movies and just talk to her. Talk about what life was like before the accident-just get her really thinking. Spend some quality father-daughter time." She smiled at him and pat his shoulder. "I think you two deserve some of that time together, don't you Mr. Vega?"

"She should hate me after all these years of just ignoring her."

"Well it wasn't entirely your fault-I mean that by saying you were avoiding Trina and Holly-but I think it's time you stepped up to the plate." She inhaled and moved her hand up to her chest. "I'm not going to be able to talk to her about her mom and sister-I don't know what they were like. Unfortunately, that's just something that none of us have really connected with her on."

"I'll try and talk to her…"

"I wouldn't say she hates you either," Beck suggested to Jade's astonishment. She hadn't expected him to get involved in this conversation, but she was pleased that he was. "It seems to me, she's big on family, and you are her father, so she probably is upset that you haven't been around for her since the accident, but she should still love you."

David flashed a subtle smile as Jade straightened her back and quickly nodded, "And that's the key Mr. Vega. She hasn't had anyone-_you_ haven't been there since the accident. Just because Mrs. Vega and Trina are gone doesn't mean that you can't be that happy family again. I think maybe, maybe she's scared of acknowledging they're gone because she's scared she won't have family. That part's up to you, she's still got her dad. Trina and Holly, they'll always be a part of you guys. They'll always be in your hearts, and watching over you when they cross over to that big family home in the sky-and they'll be waiting for you two to grow old and join them some day. You just need to get her to see that it's _okay_. It's okay to say goodbye."

"Yeah…" He clenched his eyes shut and cleared his throat. "You know, you could make a good counselor someday." She chuckled nervously and smiled when Beck put his arm proudly around his shoulders. "But you're right. It will be okay…I will talk to her." His eyelids opened halfway and he curled his lips into a half smile. "Thank you. I guess you're not as bad as I thought."

"Ye-wait, what does that mean?"

He hooked a finger over his chin and smirked. "What? You think I haven't been watching you and your friends from the moment my daughter met you in Sikowitz's class?" Jade's jaw dropped and David stood up, dusting off his pants. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to talk to my daughter."

"All right." She smiled back and looked over to Beck. They were done here and wouldn't stay any longer than needed. "I guess we can go. We'll call Tori or something later. Let us know how things are going, I guess."

"Sure…and thank you again for the talk. It was helpful." Perhaps it was better this way as well, because David could reach Tori in a way that none of her friends could. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to get through to her.

* * *

Your thoughts?


End file.
